To My Supports,

 The end of the year is coming soon and I would to thank everyone who has made an inquiry into a speaking engagement. I am especially grateful to those who have invited me to their schools and organizations.  It may be a spark for others to follow their passion in life, but your positive responses also regenerates me after an appearance.  My recently those travels included a live painting demonstration at a DC Metro Theater, a panel at the United Nations, as well as an trip to China for a international art exhibit.

What should you expect upon an inspirational speaker? With me, there are no prepared scripts instead offering a spontaneous journey of life experiences.  I often find that a cookie cutter outline which most keynote presenter’s use is not as personal.  If your schedule would allow it, I could also provide a drawing demonstration of how my artwork is created.  The silver lining in an engagement focuses on my accomplishments but more importantly I want each viewer to be more inspired by every-day journey.

“King Gimp” was a story that so many could relate to.  It was about finding placement in life with independence, family, friends, education, breaking barriers and molding passions.  True love was in raw form making each viewer understand the parallel within their own life.  The challenges of my disability became a mystery of how I was able to defeat the odds.  “If Dan can…so can I” became one of my most favorite responses.  Truly, I am amazed how a humble hometown man can be ‘the reason’ to such inspiration.  Passion is unveiled being a keynote speaker. My art and live presentations brings thoughts out of my isolation.        

I assure you this experience is worthy of your investment.  Please fellow my adventures at https://www.facebook.com/kinggimpthoughts I look forward to reconnecting…   

Sincerely,

Dan Keplinger/King Gimp

Gimp Mafia

When our Friend Gayle Hafner pasted away, I started to think of the gimp brotherhood as a mob. Seeing all of the different people that came to pay their respects to Gayle and Crosby for how much they have done for the disability movement. People often underestimate the power of person in a chair. When there is a problem, we just know the right people to contact to take of the situation. Not that we put hits out on people, although sometimes it would be nice. Even in the disability community, we have different concerns and ways of doing things and when I go to different events it feels like a meeting of the families.

Although we all want create a society, we have our difference ways of carrying out this task and could not do it without our Ninjas!

A Gimp’s Dilemma

The other week I rode with Wifey to her work’s office to drop off some paper work on the way to my studio since they are closed to each other. As always she leaves the car running while I sit in the car, so I can turn the music on or adjust the temperature if needed. It was a warm, but it was enough just to have the windows open.

As I was sitting there were some other employees started to gather, because they have a policy not to leave the car running while their clients sit in car.  I am trying to talk with this guy and women that approached my window.  To make a long story short, the guy figured out whom I was and I was there with my Wifey.

I could understand they were only doing their job, but I really wanted to tell the woman to kiss off since her attitude was so offensive. Does she really assume that everyone that has a disability can only be a client? To mean that is saying no one with a disability can be her equal. The thing that really got me steamed is as I was talking, I was spraying.  Under her breath I heard her say, I hope he does not have anything contagious?

I really wanted to tell her, she needs a new freak’n job! First she was acting like I had no idea what she was saying and second she was scared to be around me. If you have no passion, or compassion for people with disabilities, you need to get out of this field.

Is Wealth From Money, or Taking Care of People?

I lived in Virginia Towers, Towson, MD from 1997 to 2007 and what I have been hearing and observing in the past few weeks has been frustrating and disturbing. The other week we dropped our friend of on a Saturday night after a nice evening out and to my shock the visitor parking was full of valet parking for the new movie complex and the mall.

Yes, the Towers are subsidized apartment building for people with disabilities and the elderly. Since the parking lot was full of cars from people that are out for a night of entertainment, there is no parking for visitors coming to the towers. In the long run the residents will be the one that will stuffer, because people will be more hesitant to come see them due to the cost of parking, or the fear of being towed.

The other concern that has risen due to this new parking restriction is that any one in the building who has a personal care assistant could loose their help. Now the PCA has pay to park, or be towed and this might be half of their paycheck. Most people know that PCAs get pay next to nothing and now they will be talking home even less due to pay parking. Surely this will impact the quality of care being provided, why pay a towing bill that is more than one’s paycheck. I think the different agencies need to get involve to not only protect their clients, but also their employees!

Getting backing to the night we took our friend home, just because the residents of Virginia Towers get a break on rent does not mean they have no rights to parking. If this was happening at any other complex, the residents would be outrage. On my way home, I was sadden to see people are putting the opportunity to make extra income over the well being of people.

Artist Are Researchers Too

Bird 2014, Pastel on canvas 40in. X 38in. This is a very experimental piece, I was trying to combined two images that I work with often. I did an under drawing of the wheelchair icon and tried to blend it into parts of the eye. I think, I should play play with these two images in photoshop to develop it more.

I feel like PDWs have a sixth sense, as a way to protect them self from bad people. Would most people trust someone with banking information, or the things in daily life that wrong person could do a lot of damage with?

Improved to Art Demo

Brianna and I went to Towson Arts @ Ellen "Brit" Christiansen Memorial Fund (EBC)‪ Arts Center‬ for our weekly studio session yesterday and we were joined by a group of people from the The League for People with Disabilities, Inc. They saw the spot on WJZ this week and decided to come see the Art Show, not knowing that I would be there.

This is part of why I have a studio there, so I can answer any questions they might have and show people even thou this is not a typical "job" there is a need for places as this to bring the the community together on an equal ground. I would say they stayed for about an hour and the whole time the group was asking good questions.

Before they left their staff said, the he would like to return next week with another group because this would be a valued experience for all of his clients.

Some Tech Questions for The King

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.