Join us for a First Friday reception at Bellwether Brewing to celebrate the opening of The Arc’s Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month gallery show featuring artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Featured artists include Tami Leitz, Missy Narrance, Jackie Anderson and Tori Lehinger.
TAMI LEITZ
Spending my young adult years as a foster parent and disability advocate, I wrestled with my identity as an artist. Making art for the sake of approval or awards felt meaningless. We need shelter, companionship, education but do we need art? I stopped creating until, in my early thirties, POTS syndrome left me unable to ignore my inner life. Stuck in bed I found an outlet for my grief in watercolor, a medium I had never enjoyed.
Watercolor is temperamental and unforgiving. Much like life painting does not always go as planned and imperfections are not easily covered over which makes the medium exposure therapy for a recovering perfectionist. Watercolor reminds me of the surprising potential for beauty inside of us especially when we are faced with life's inevitable recalibrations and setbacks.
Creating became an expression of gratitude for this incredible gift, valuable in its own way. Art reveals the hidden experiences and emotions inside of another person. It creates a unique connection where we can see a piece of our own journeys reflected.
@watercolorrevival
MISSY NARRANCE
Bald Bastard Art is the personal artwork of queer and disabled #spokaneartist Missy Narrance.
She started drawing portraits as a child using the grid method as shown to her by her grandfather. Drawing didn't hold her interest in high school, so she fell away from it for many years.
During that time she discovered serious health problems would prevent her from working a regular job. After years of creative stagnation, she rediscovered her love of artwork and faces. She realized she'd never be able to attend art school in a traditional sense so she started embracing the experimental discovery process of being a self taught artist.
She works with a variety of mediums including canvas, acrylic, watercolor, scratchboard, pen and digital.
She spends a significant portion of her artistic energy completing commissioned artwork of people's pets which she finds extremely rewarding. (@missyscritters)
JACKIE ANDERSON
My name is Jackie and I enjoy spending time painting with most of my free time, especially in the summer soaking up the sun. I enjoy keeping myself busy, whether it is painting, playing with my water toys, or going out to do dances where I can socialize with friends.