If You Must, 2018, Digital Media, 19200 X 19200 PX
$600.00
The fact is, physical force is no stranger to the disability community. From using it as a way to correct behaviors to thinking brute-force would be the only to move someone around. Sometimes when people feel passionate about their believes this is a risk worth taken. One person’s passion can be another’s outrage.
My Family and I have decided to open a working studio, not a gallery. We will be holding workshops and private events such as screen printing, wine and canvas nights, and live drawing sessions. We welcome participates of all ages and skill levels, we want to make art accessible to everyone as a tool of expression and bringing people to for fun!
Help us reach our goal so that we can purchase supplies and open shop!
King Gimp Studio is a shop dedicated to providing a fun, educational screen-printing environment for learners and hobbyists of all ages and levels. Learn more about us at facebook.com/kinggimpstudio.
The King Gimp Studio Fundraiser Event on April 1st will be featuring Dan Keplinger drawing live. The completed piece will be raffled at the event and one lucky winner will take it home! Raffle tickets are $50 and all proceeds during the event go towards the purchase of final art supplies required to officially open our shop!
We do offer the option of buying raffle tickets online for those of you who cannot attend or who wish to make donations! The link is https://rallyup.com/king-gimp-studio, any gift that you can offer is appreciated.
Here are some questions I just answer for a group of IT students.
What are some difficulties that you face while doing your art?
Most recently the problem that I have been having is sweating, my hair gets wet and my headstick falls. Really the big problem that I face is when I try new mediums and have to figure out how to attach it to my headstick, or how too use it to my needs. This goes for any time I get a new piece of equipment, there is always a period of debugging.
Do you think that a robotic arm would make it easier for you to do art?
I think a robotic arm will be the same idea as using a computer for art and communicating. It takes out the human factor out of the process; maybe I just have not found the right software yet.
Do you think that a classroom environment would affect the way someone with cerebral palsy would learn art?
There is a need for both classroom and studio time, every artist needs to interact with their peers. This provides an environment of growth, to see what other student are doing and share ideas. Even if the disabled student does not produce art during class time, they might be thinking about how the conversations relate to the art. Just because someone is not an active participant in the group, does not take away from the value of being included.
Do you think that an electric wheelchair would help you do your art?
I have seen videos of people that attached paintbrushes to chairs and just drive their chairs around the canvas to make the marks. I have thought about getting a huge canvas and put paint on my wheels and make marks on the canvas. It would just be something to try. How would you really control where the marks go to create the image that you want. One would have to work from the center out and really have to plan everything out.
I knew that going to China would be a spiritual journey, but not in the form that it took. I was thinking that we would take a day trip to a Buddhist Temple, but sadly there was no time for that. Mr. Joe had everyday book up for us, we would leave the hotel at 9 a.m. and not get back until 10 at night. We at least we able to see a sample of the Buddhist tradition and at the shrine in town. Greg and I did light a candle for my brother Paul. It only seem fitting since when Paul was young people in the family would call him Buddha and when he opened his tattoo shop, he had a collection of Buddha figures. How more respect could it be than light a candle at a shrine, but he would rather it be done at a temple.
One night Mr. Joe took the Artists out for dinner, but before that he invited us to his private studio. To me this was like going to his inner sanctum, this is where the master does his work and produces master pieces. Greg and I were talking and Mr. Joe's art has the status of what most Artists receive after death. So we walk into his basement that would be the size of a full school gym. There were crates full off his work and in the middle of the room he a few table but together covered with brushes, books and tubes of paint. I was just sitting there amazed by this sight, I was over come by all of this. Then over in the corner I saw Mr. Joe's paint palette, I approached it as one would do as an alter, because this is where it all starts. This is the tool that lets him earn the type of living that lets him give back to his community and that brought as all together.
Before I continue on about our epic Chengdu adventure and I know that it will takes weeks for me to purge all of this goodness. I would like to give a big thanks to Gregory Burns, without his input none of this would have been possible. Greg told the foundation about me when they asked about other disabled artist in America. Greg and I met in 2001 during a show for the Orthopedic Associate on the West coast, he said we also met at the Kennedy Center. Although we only have had frequent contact over the years, I must have made a real impression on him. His art career is where I strive to be, painting and speaking around the world. I know he has just opened a new door for me and this will not be our only trip to Chengdu. By the second night, I ask "how does my ass get an artist residency here"? If I do not go back with 5 Colours Foundation, it would be with the US Consulate. They were not only interested me as an Artist, but with my whole story. Even through Wifey likes to take the back seat, we were told that everyone was intrigued with our story.
Last night Wifey and I had a few beers after our travels and I think we will be redoing this trip within a years, but Wifey gives it six months. I know Greg not only opened a new market on my art, but also a chapter of adventures.
Before our events officially started Greg and Angie had time to take us to the town's garden and a market. Greg has been traveling Asia for 30 year as an Artist with a disability and met his Wife, Angie 17 years ago. We know it would not be easy going through the garden and shrine, but it was worth the task. When we did get stuck, surprisingly there was no problem getting help. For example, Greg would ask some guys to help get my chair up some stairs, he would just get to say "can you help my" and each time two, or three guys would just lift me and my chair up. The four of us were not expecting this willingness, but it was welcoming. We then went through a market for the experience, there was a man and his Wife that made decorative gourds. He wanted to give me one, not out of pity but as a sign of respect from one Artist to another. It turn out that he saw my artwork in the local paper. The gallery opening that I was invited to for is part of a bigger Art Festival that runs until the of October.
We just got back from Chengdu, China last night. It was a life changing trip and I know this will not be our last trip there. Mr. Zhou Chunya aka Mr. Joe is one of the top 5 artist in China and built an Artists village after the earth quakes. He also started the 5 Colours foundations for artists with disabilities. Mr. Joe is the gentleman in the back row in the blue to my left. Blue Roof Art Festival showcases influence of Chengdu collective
Before our events officially started Greg and Angie had time to take us to the town's garden and a market. Greg has been traveling Asia for 30 year as an Artist with a disability and met his Wife, Angie 17 years ago. We know it would not be easy going through the garden and shrine, but it was worth the task. When we did get stuck, surprisingly there was no problem getting help. For example, Greg would ask some guys to help get my chair up some stairs, he would just get to say "can you help my" and each time two, or three guys would just lift me and my chair up. The four of us were not expecting this willingness, but it was welcoming. We then went through a market for the experience, there was a man and his Wife that made decorative gourds. He wanted to give me one, not out of pity but as a sign of respect from one Artist to another. It turn out that he saw my artwork in the local paper. The gallery opening that I was invited to for is part of a bigger Art Festival that runs until the of October.
Before I continue on about our epic Chengdu adventure and I know that it will takes weeks for me to purge all of this goodness. I would like to give a big thanks to Gregory Burns, without his input none of this would have been possible. Greg told the foundation about me when they asked about other disabled artist in America. Greg and I met in 2001 during a show for the Orthopedic Associate on the West coast, he said we also met at the Kennedy Center. Although we only have had frequent contact over the years, I must have made a real impression on him. His art career is where I strive to be, painting and speaking around the world. I know he has just opened a new door for me and this will not be our only trip to Chengdu. By the second night, I ask "how does my ass get an artist residency here"? If I do not go back with 5 Colours Foundation, it would be with the US Consulate. They were not only interested me as an Artist, but with my whole story. Even through Wifey likes to take the back seat, we were told that everyone was intrigued with our story.
Last night Wifey and I had a few beers after our travels and I think we will be redoing this trip within a years, but Wifey gives it six months. I know Greg not only opened a new market on my art, but also a chapter of adventures.
Dan’s friends tape charcoal or paint brush to his head stick device to enable him to create art.
Free Past
Painting by Dan Keplinger
My Nights
Painting by Dan Keplinger
Some Bum
Painting by Dan Keplinger
Dan Keplinger is featured in the award-winning, short documentary
King Gimp “It does feel good to be respected and appreciated for who I am.”- Dan Keplinger
“In my work I hope to show everybody that they have the ability to persevere.”- Dan Keplinger
Painter’s canvas becomes his voice
Dan Keplinger, artist, motivational speaker and the subject of the Academy Award-winning documentary King Gimp, isn’t sure if he discovered his voice through art, or if art gave him a voice. For Dan his passion for art began when his high school teacher encouraged him to express himself through art.
“I just look for powerful feelings and emotions that give me a certain connection,” said Dan. “My art speaks what I would be saying with words.”
At around 9-years-old a documentary film crew began documenting area children of differing economic backgrounds and began following Dan’s journey. The documentary, King Gimp, received an Academy Award and his artwork sales soared and his calendar filled with speaking engagements.
“People are more willing to take time to understand me,” said Dan. “I do not know if they now realize that I do have something to say, or if what I do say just blows them away.”
An artist was born
When Dan Keplinger was born January 19, 1973 in Baltimore, Maryland, the doctor thought he was stillborn and placed him aside. Momentarily deprived of oxygen, he revived with a brain injury and mixed spastic and athetoid cerebral palsy.
At 18 months, Dan was enrolled in a special education school run by United Cerebral Palsy of Central Maryland and then enrolled into a level five special education school at the age of 6. At 16-years-old and a high school sophomore, he was mainstreamed into the public school system.
He graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Mass Communication in 1998 and a Bachelors of Science in Art in 2000 at Towson University.
The artist
Dan creates charcoal drawings and canvas paints. He attributes his interest in art to a high school teacher that gave him “the tools to have art say what I wanted it to.” He paints from an extensive collection of photographs that inspire an internal connection, “I look for the abnormal in normal life.”
Not always happy in nature, his abstracts often depict feelings he admits “would make people close to me scared and worried about me.”
“Maybe I want people to see these feelings, so they know everything is not happy in my world,” he said. “Translating myself onto canvas became my language, something I needed to exist.”
He paints with a head stick, a brush connected to a dowel and headband, onto canvas spanning at least 4 by 5 feet. His friends cut and position the canvas and mix and place his paints. To paint he sits in a “W” position on the floor of his apartment which is covered with six-inch thick foam to protect his knees.
He uses 15 brushes that can be easily interchanged by his friends and utilizes four jars of paint thinner in each corner of his canvas. His paintings often contain a wheelchair because “it is my main mode of conveyance and a major part of my daily life,” he said. “In my work I hope to show everybody that they have the ability to persevere.”
Dan’s art, which includes self-portraits, abstracts and landscapes, was first professionally shown in May of 2000. His art has also been featured at prestigious shows across the nation, including the Herbst International Exhibition Hall at the Presidio of San Francisco, CA; the Millennium Arts Center in Washington, D.C.; the Chicago Cultural Center in Chicago, IL; and the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, NY.
The documentaries
His life story, to date, is shared through film and distributed to schools and professional training programs. At age 9 he was included in Beginning with Bong a documentary produced by Susan Hannah Hadary and William A. Whiteford at the University of Maryland Video Press and Tapestry International Productions. The documentary was about children with disability from different economic backgrounds that were mainstreamed in various education systems.
Hadary and Whiteford continued filming Dan throughout his life. They filmed him moving from his special education school into a mainstreamed public school system. They filmed his prom, high school graduation and his first art show. They even recorded him transitioning from his mother’s house and into independent apartment living.
Eighty hours of raw footage and the assistance of an 80-page memoir written by Dan was then edited into a 39 minute documentary titled King Gimp.
“The film King Gimp documents Dan’s joys and frustrations including the freedom granted by his first power wheelchair, his rebellion against using a computer-generated voice, his everyday strides for independence, and his most life altering discovery–art,” reports the MedSchool Maryland Productions and Video Press website.
King Gimp reveals how Dan discovered his voice through art and suggests that intelligent individuals with speech impediments and physical impairment are often perceived incorrectly. The film premiered June 5, 2000 on HBO and is available through mainstream distribution. It was nominated for a national Emmy, received an Oscar, and the Peabody Award.
“It does feel good to be respected and appreciated for who I am,” Dan said. “I hope that people who have seen “King Gimp” have gained this new awareness not only for me but for others who have physical disabilities.”
The motivational speaker
Currently, Dan travels the
country, booking motivational speaking engagements on topics that
include “Accessible Arts” and “Overcoming Physical Challenges to Create
Success.” He is often sought by federal and state agencies, along with
corporations and disability organizations to promote inclusion in all
aspects of society.
In 2001, he was featured in a Cingular
Wireless Super Bowl commercial promoting self-expression. The commercial
received many honors including being ranked in USA Today as the number
one super bowl commercial; receiving the Goodwill Industries’ Walter
Knott Service Award for displaying outstanding humanitarian spirit; and
the TASH Image Award for exemplary achievement in media.
KING GIMP: The Story of Daniel Keplinger
‘King Gimp’ chronicles man’s teen and adult challenges, triumphs
Academy Award-winning documentary follows the daily life of Dan Keplinger from the ages of 12 to 25 years old, with a special nod to his search for acceptance and success as a sought-after artist. Keplinger, at the beginning of “King Gimp” is a self-conscious teen with severe cerebral palsy living with his single mother, Linda Ritter, in suburban Baltimore, Md. But at the end of the film, he’s a college-educated artist; working his magic on the canvas, and pondering the meaning of love.
To purchase King Gimp contact the National Films for Humanities and Sciences at 1-800-257-5126 or visit MedSchool Maryland Productions and Video Press, University of Maryland School of Medicine.
A tale of love and devotion Artist Dan Keplinger said in the Academy Award-winning film about his life that he expected to have a life of loneliness because he believed his cerebral palsy would prohibit someone from loving him. But Dan would ultimately find that life is full of surprises after meeting his soul mate and wife, Dena.
I did this at the end the my MFA work. I was thinking what choices we make and the obstacles comes with each choice. As I use pieces of imagery from my art work to create my videos, I will be posting the whole art piece for you to enjoy. I did show Prof. Stein from King Gimp the video/animation that I have been creating that is still a work in progress and he was very interested. In fact, he might have me go to TU next Fall to play in their new computer lab to see what direction I could take with film. Although, the computer stuff is interesting and easier on my body, it can never replace working on the surface of the canvas. The idea of me working in film, is to still have the marks that I make. When I do start using a new medium, I think of as a new accent for my art vocabulary and how it relates to my body of work
I often get asked if I would ever teach art, I do not see
myself in a former educator role.It
would be more like team teaching if I went into a classroom setting.First because I would need an assistant for
myself and that same person would most likely do the demos.Secondly I do not feel like I know enough of
the fundamentals of art to teach.
On the other hand in my later years at Towson U. my
Professors would asked my to come lecture to their classes about my ideas on
art.What does art mean, people like to
joke and say how easy it is to create art?In reality being artist is hard as ass, what do you have to say and what
medium do you use to say it.
My professors would also stop me as I rolled down the
halls and pulled me into a crit.This
all makes me think about what it means to teach art.Is it hands on showing people how to mix
colors and what method to use to get the desire effect, or is it the exchange
of ideals to push to the next level?
My approach to art is the second part of that question. I
would like to know if anyone would be interested in taking art “lesson” from
me? This could be done in person, or over the computer since we would be have
discussion about your art. This might also get my own create juices flowing and
maybe bring in a little $$$. I would not be able teach from the fundamentals
approach, but I would be able to show you how to make your own language from
art!
