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Anson’s Academic Background in the Arts
Anson has faced countless challenges with his disability of Autism, but he has shown a lifelong drive to pursue his passion of Art. Anson’s interest in art was apparent when he was three years old and attending an early childhood intervention program called "Apple School" at the Albany School District in Alameda County, California. His subject matter was taken from his daily concrete visual encounters while being driven to and from school on a school bus. His first few pen and pencil drawings were of the chain stores such as Taco Bell, ACE Hardware, Home Depot, etc.
From age five to seven, he began drawing on his desktop computer. He started using more details and expressive images of various complex subjects, mostly electrical related items such as pianos, elevators, bikes, a boiler of hot water. He also drew animals, such as a chick exiting from a cracking eggshell in sequence and a dog over a fence. He drew city streets, houses, flowers and more. At this stage, Anson showed an increasing interest in arts.
From age seven to nine, Anson expanded his interest in arts by building all sorts
of three-dimensional objects with Lego. He created
spaceships, planes, trains and other forms of transportation. Anson was still unable
to read, write, and communicate at his age level. Thus, his ability to create these
amazing structures depended entirely on his own visual understanding of the photos
and diagrams that accompanied the Lego boxes. His pursuit in the Lego activity
continued for a good many years, producing hundreds of wonderful miniature structures.
During his middle school years, he was introduced to
ceramics, papier-mâché, drawing
with charcoal and wood making. At this time, he started using
K’nex for his kinesthetic creations. He made
Ferris-wheels, salt & pepper windmills, a 3 ft high & 6 ft long roller coaster,
dinosaurs and much more. These K’nex creations were all electrically
operated. Anson was able to complete each task on his own with 100% accuracy, even
though he was years behind his peers in reading and communication skills.
His high school years were a huge turning point in his artistic life. His art took on
new forms with new levels of challenge. Also, the making of art became more real to him
and he began his work each day with enthusiasm and deliberation. He started to work with
a series of different art media. He learned to
paint in
watercolor,
acrylic,
oil and
other media on canvas, wood
and paper. His paintings are excellent and each is a masterpiece with its own
uniqueness and originality. In addition, all throughout his high school years, Anson
was enrolled in a Photography class. In this class, he learned all about cameras,
shooting pictures and photo development.
Anson graduated from High School in the year 2003. As part of his vocational goals,
Anson is an active participant at the Berkeley Commercial
4th Street Art Studio, among
other renowned artists. He is now enrolled in College classes. His major is Art.