Art Web Site Features Mt. Greylock Student
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| Kelly Gallagher with some of his works. |
Ron Gallagher and his family were at home in December when his 26-year-old daughter called and told them to turn on ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."
The show was about the Vitale family of Athens, Vt. It wasn't the house the Gallaghers were interested in but the artistic endeavors of Louis Vitale Jr., a severely disabled toddler who has become the center of his family's efforts to help special-needs children.
<L2>Their interest was piqued because their son, 16-year-old Kelly, had recently discovered an aptitude for art himself.
Now Kelly, who suffers from cerebral palsy, is the featured artist this month for Angel Boy Art, the nonprofit organization inspired by Louis and dedicated to providing a showcase to display the artistic expressions of disabled children and youth.
"We're quite proud of what Kelly produces," said his father, Ron Gallagher, last week. "After learning about Angel Boy Art, we applied to put his work on the site."
During a trip to New Hampshire in January, the Gallaghers visited the Vitales in their newly built Vermont home. Ron Gallagher said Sara Vitale, the painter and artist who created Angel Boy Art, "is really an advocate for her son."
Kelly has been working in acrylics for about a year and a half, said Gallagher, and really let loose with the creation of "Razzledazzle" last year. The colorful acrylic on canvas took more than 40 hours to complete.
Kelly uses a wheelchair and has a limited vocabulary. Those may have some effect on his ability to express himself artistically, but it's perhaps more impressive that he's been able to create such visually attractive pieces while being considered legally blind.
Kelly does not use a "translator" in his work or engage in art as a therapeutic occupation - he just loves to paint, said his father.
"We just put the paint in front of him and he's just really enthusiastic," said Gallagher. "He does it all on his own."<R3>
Kelly's works, along with those of 14 other young artists, are available for auction on the Web site in the form of 11- by-16.5-inch prints. The funds raised are used toward special-needs children and their families.
Gallagher said it's not the auction but the ability to let other people know how talented Kelly is that drew them to the site.
"I'm not only proud of him, this shows how someone who's disabled can produce beautiful stuff," he said. "He's such a great kid."
