The art of seeing potential over limitations
DDD teen’s art takes off
French artist, George Seurat, created artwork using dots of paint, which became known as Pointillism. Renowned American painter, Jackson Pollock, used drips. Gauge, a member of the DES Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD), uses a spritz of paint to create a galaxy of artwork.
At only 12 years of age, Gauge was the youngest of six artists whose work was chosen by the City of Casa Grande in its “Traveling Garbage Gallery Art Program” competition. In a recent news release, the City announced the contest as a program that “offers garbage trucks as canvases for local artists to honor an anti-littering campaign and highlight the importance of keeping Casa Grande clean and beautiful while adding a bit of flair to neighborhoods.” Gauge’s submission proclaims, “We can either have a clean or a dirty planet”
Now at age 13, the teen has taught himself how to mix primary colors to create his own color palette for each of his paintings. He then uses common household items, such as paper, bags and bowls, as tools to add texture, detail, shadows and highlights to his art. “I love the planets and I love the stars,” said Gauge. A painting he did of the solar system, which was painted on a large poster board, is his personal favorite.
Gauge has been interested in colors since he was a toddler. Unlike most other children, though, Gauge had trouble speaking. At one point, the family questioned if he’d ever be able to talk. His mother, Monique. explained that her son displayed classic autism signs but wasn’t diagnosed with autism until around age 5. “He wasn’t talking, no eye contact … [yet] he had a passion for art and colors.”
According to Monique, others were always putting limitations on her son’s abilities. “I remember in a parent-teacher conference, I was speaking highly about Gauge and how I can’t wait for the day to see him graduate from high school,” recalled Monique. “His teacher laughed at me and said that Gauge would be lucky if he even received a Certificate of Education by then.”
That’s when Monique decided to homeschool Gauge. She started from scratch to determine where the gaps were in his education. Together, mom and son use typical school textbooks in his education and today, Gauge is at the 4th grade level in math, 2nd grade in language arts, and 3rd grade in all other subjects. Plus, his communications skills are improving, thanks in part to DDD speech therapy sessions. Gauge also receives occupational therapy from DDD.
His art is also enabling Gauge to learn entrepreneurial skills. He has his own business called Cosmic Art by Gauge. His art is displayed at Throwback Family Fun, a local video arcade, and, according to Monique, “He’s gaining social skills from selling his artwork every Saturday at Uptown Farm & Artisan Market in Casa Grande.”
“I’m beyond proud!” said Monique. “I’ve always seen a light in Gauge, and always saw his potential. He’s breaking all barriers and limitations that were placed on him.”