talent people perceived in Charlie early on. But art became a more important part of French’s world after his diagnosis. His mother spoke of how she would place a piece of paper before
Charlie and allow him to paint, using watercolors – even setting up a tray in the
in bathtub so Charlie could paint while relaxing in the tub. One might say, the artist and his art was born from water – of water and color, then watercolors, then acrylic (now his favorite medium). Art and art therapy clearly became a more and more defining part of French’s world.
And here is where the story gets interesting.
At the time, Charlie’s paintings always seemed to turn out muddy, whether in the tub or on paper before him when out of the tub. Overworking the various colors, without shape or line, all the colors blended together. As his mother points out: the paintings “really reflected how sad and how unhappy his life was.” Charlie continued in this state for several years. There was “no light at all until he was 22.”
However, at the age of 22, there was a
breakthrough: a yellow square suddenly appeared in one of his paintings. How and where that image came, no one is certain. But at that moment, French became an abstract artist.
His work gathered depth and dimension,
as his color palette expanded and shapes on
the canvas changed. Charlie’s parents encouraged him to take classes, which he did – studying in London, Santa Fe, and Dallas as well as online with teachers in England, California, and Texas. French incorporated what he learned: more liquid paint and water or turpentine, sprayed onto the canvas to create drips in what has now become a signature of French’s, introduced movement and signified time.
Over time, Charlie came to a realization. French announced to his parents he was not just an artist but a professional artist, whose business was to paint and sell art. It was, as he said, his “job.” Art for dollars, as he put it. French’s parents realized the seriousness of this claim and initiated a process through which he could realize his vocation: they built him a studio,
Video Courtesy of:
Open Future Learning
.
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