Big Thanks To All That Came To Fredreck

Dan Keplinger - "King Gimp" from NewsChopperBrad on Vimeo.

Once again I went to thank Mike B. and Service Coordination for putting on a great event for NDEAM and the Weinberg Center for the Arts for an amazing venue to display my art and spend a day creating art. They asked what kind of music I wanted them to play, right away I said Rocky Horror Picture Show.

I just wanted to thank everyone that made the journey out to Fredrick for this event. It was great reconnecting with people that I have not seen for years.  If you have every seen King Gimp, you might of notice a scene with my  little sister when I was talking to Laura. She popped up again in this video too.  My little sister is the hand that was giving me the bite of cheese.

The night ended in the perfect way, we were raffling off one of paintings. The winner was Susan from KKI, I wonder if she took the day off.  If it was night for people just as Susan, I would not be who I am today.

Roller Coaster of A Friday Night

On Friday at 6:00pm I get a Text from Josh, saying where the hell are you guys?  We were still in MD getting things together to make our way to see Josh.  Since he text we hurried thing along and made it there by 8:30, so we had time to hang before the show.  Each time we go see him, his routine just keeps improving! we also had a few drink after the show and had fun.

We got home around 3:30 and sadly this is what happened, in the words of Wifey:

5:00 a.m. this morning....I was looking at a chest x ray of our dog, Zarrah. Her heart was in mint condition and everything looked to be just fine for any trauma, I can't say the same about her leg and hurt soul. It was a very feisty little fox that caught her eye and she ran like a dickens and was hit by a car. It was so kind that stopped and gave a phone number...humanity always hits my soft side. Our Zarrah, runs like the wind all over the place without a leash-Danny's wheelchair would catch the line and it never ever was safe. She is a devoted dog and never went out of her home environment without us. As I was sitting there in the Pet ER, I couldn't help but be thankful that she survived. That x ray....gave me a glimpse of that heart that I'm so in love with. I have had my hand on it for many hours today feeling it beat and I can't help but goo. Our little champ...is recovering and in no time she will be running like the wind again.

I think she had a little angel nearby. This photo was taken about 2 years ago, it was 5:00 in the morning. Zarrah was fast asleep and my Best Friend Ms. Julia-age 98. Boy, oh boy did they love to snuggle each other.

Zarrah is doing good, she is even walking  up and down stairs, but looks for all of the TLC she can get showing off her booboo.

It Was The Freak'n Padding

Since I got the new brush holder for my head stick, it seemed top heavy and I knew I had to get it fix before the 30th. Thanks to Susan at KKI, She was able to slip me in for a late Friday afternoon appointment.  The idea of my head stick being top heavy was only the tip of the problem, because every time I would lean forward the whole thing would slide off my head.  Even after Susan moved the top piece backward to balance the weight it would still slide around on my head.

The  next idea that Susan had was to change the foam padding inside and that fixed the problem.  She gave me thicker foam that took the shape of my head that created just enough friction to hold my head stick in place.  I wonder when I go bald headed, we might have line the inside with dycem.

Dycem- Used by many occupational therapists, physical therapists and healthcare professionals as an effective anti-slip.

Great Minds....

I was just typing up some answers for a newspaper article and had the question about the artist I look at. So I looked up Chuck Close, because he has always been one of my staples even before I learn that he was disabled. The reason why I always related my work with my is because of the style he works in, a lot of his work is huge and made up of smaller shapes. So up close you cannot see the whole picture until you are half way across the room.  Just as my pieces, you do not get the impact of my work until you see them from a far. But up close you can see each mark I make.

 Chuck Close in August 2012 with Obama I and Obama II, two Jacquard tapestries published by Magnolia Editions. Photo by Donald Farnsworth.

This is a portrait of President Odama, 2009

Sunday NFL Rituals

This week I heard that the Baltimore Ravens fans are the most superstitious fans in the NFL. Well I would not call what I do a superstition, but surely a ritual. When know we are going tailgating, I try to get in the hot shower a couple minutes extra in order to let the warm water relax my bladder. Even though I just went to the bathroom, I still like to make sure all of the Urine is out.  Especially when we go out to tailgate, because I never know how long it will be before I see an accessible bathroom.  In addition, sometimes I drink more then others. At all cost I do try to stay away from the beer, Natty Boh and Bud are favorites down there and those suckers go right through you.

Great Way to Kick Off Disability Awareness Month (Visit to Tyler)

First of all I would Like to thank Professor Lisa Kay for invite me to Tyler School of Art and all the work she did to make this event possible. She had a full schedule for me and Wifey, we arrived on Wednesday and went to her art Ed. class for a drawing demonstration, it went better then I expected.  I am one of those artist that likes to work it private, but at the same time was a way to everyone relax and start the conversation. I was taking questions and talking plus most students were sitting on the floor while was working. I am sure that this was the first time they have seen this way of creating art.

During my visit to the class room, I was talking about some of the projects that I have in the works. For example, how I trying to set up an internship at Towson U. for a painting student to help me in my studio. Before I left the Temple campus, I had one studio ask me for the details of the internship. Too bad I am from Maryland, or I would have already filled the position.

I also had a guess with me, just over a year ago I received an email Amy Soppet Taklif. She has been working on a book about disabilities relationships and sexuality, Amy has been trying to interview Wifey and I for a year. It just happened that Temple U. was not far from her house so she met us that night to do the interview. After the visit to the class we returned to the hotel with along with a few cocktails to talk about our relationship.  I think, it turned into a three hour interview, but it was fun talking about the stuff that most people are too afraid to mention.

The next morning we got up to go hang my work in the contemporary art gallery, I am very impression by what the gallery Director is doing with his space. Rob is making the gallery into just a white cube to view art. For half of the week artist are working in the gallery to prepare the show and the other half of the week he is in the gallery having people interact with the work.  Wifey and I returned to the gallery at 5 p.m. for engagement,  is was very well publicized, all around the building were signs saying the King is come.  In addition, my face was on the big screen as everyone walk into the building.  Every seat was taken and some people were even standing.  I even heard that a couple of Temple's football players came into the gallery, first they were standing in the back and by the end they were sitting in the front row.

The next morning before our departure, there was a breakfast with members from some of the other departments on campus. The idea was that we had this great event to grab people's attention, now how do they capitalize on the momentum to raise disability awareness thought their whole campus?  I often say my art work is not meant for decoration, but to start conversations. Maybe that is the meaning of  my existence, not to be guy to change rules, but to creator a new way of thinking that leads to better things.

It is amazing how a event like this can recharge our batteries, both as a couple and as a public figure.  I did not come away from this gig thinking it was my best ever, but I did get the most full filled from. Maybe because, it was well rounded. I got to share some of art, some of my life as a disabled person and some of our life as a couple.  It is not enough for me to just share our story, but to know that people walk away with a new perspective on life!

If you think this seem to be a awesome event, you should want I have instore with Service Coordination to end this month!