A.R.T. Confidential, an inside look at a hidden world: Michael and the Wooden Chair

We have worked with a good number of Michaels. This Michael is Michael Davis. Michael was unique in our experience in how he could walk but did not have the use of his hands. He could not open a door.

It is always a thrill when a new artist locks in to painting with our techniques with the immediate intensity Michael Davis did. 

Held back from doing things using his hands he loved placing and moving the paint with the head-mounted laser.

He sat on a normal simple wooden chair facing his canvas and went at it. Such concentration. He leaned towards his painting quickly directing the blending and application of related colors, blues and greens, and with the laser drew them upward with textured tools, combs, hair brushes, that left subtle lines and blended green into blue and blue into green. The painting was fresh and fine with a sureness and optical brightness that gave the canvas a sense of being alive. When his studio time was up, he, being nonverbal, stood and with plopping footsteps made his way out of the studio, Gale calling after him, “Nice job Michael. See you next time.”

It was during his studio time, which meant so much to him, the fire alarm went off and we evacuated the building.

There we all were in the parking lot, some of us standing, most of the folks in their wheelchairs.

The all clear signal given, Super Tracker Gale (who you can see in the video at artrealization.org) and I made our way through various doors, up the ramp, up the elevator, to the studio, and who is sitting there on the wooden chair facing his painting but Michael Davis.  And get this: He has the laser headband and the laser on his head. Oh man! He could not open a door but he found a way to get that elasticized laser headband on his head.And how could he have possibly beaten Gale and I to the studio? He had to have been moving at top speed, determined to get in any time that might be left to his session.