Kickstarter

My precious grandson, Joshua, was diagnosed with autism as a toddler.  Like many with this disorder, communication was a struggle for him, and he didn’t have any words other than “Mama” and “Daddy” when he was two-and-a-half years old.  Still, there was nobody on earth I would have rather spent the day with than this rambunctious little man, so I traveled to Southern California to visit him and his baby sister a few summers ago. 

Memory will always preserve our captivating visit to The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.  I followed Joshua as he hummed like a honeybee, his path caroming from one display to another, his interest fleeting.  Then we came to the jellyfish display.  Joshua stood spellbound as they moved and morphed.  His hands flapped with joy—and his enchantment gave him a word, “Jewwyfeesh!  Jewwyfeesh!”  I stood with him, watching the jellyfish for more than an hour.  Sheer happiness washed over both of us, and tears filled my eyes as I reveled in this momentous breakthrough.

Joshua is doing well, thank God.  He’s making gains every day, thanks to the unwavering love and dedication of his family and the excellent work of ABA therapists, aides, and teachers. He’s a loving and happy boy.  As a first grader, he reads fluently and memorizes everything—and if I told you more, I’d go straight to bragging! 

Being Joshua’s and Meghan’s grandma is my heart’s delight, and from that delight I make art.  My latest passion is creating mixed-media works in bright colors with glitter glazes.  The resulting paintings are dynamic and ever-changing as the light catches each facet and brings each subject to life.

 

My plan is to create paintings featuring various jellyfish in honor of Joshua.  I plan to give two (or more) of these paintings to the Aquarium of the Pacific and the Monterey Bay Aquarium as a small "thank you" for the incredible impact they've had in Joshua's life.  I’ve contacted the Aquarium of the Pacific, and they are eager to have the paintings for their auction in October!  I’d also love to give them the images in a format that they could use on greeting cards for continuous reproduction.  (Shhhhh!  It'll be our secret for now, but I'm thinking about a book...)

It is my hope that “Joshua’s Jellyfish” will honor the sea life that helped unlock one little boy’s language abilities, and that other little children will be blessed as they observe these animals up close.

I need your help to make this wish a reality.  Please let me brighten up your world with sparkly sea life and help me get this effort off the ground! 

 

 

(My heartfelt thanks to “Bobs and Lolo” for permission to use their song “I Wish I Was a Jellyfish” in my presentation.  They are wonderful!  I hope they get their wish of performing at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in the near future.  Please check out their music at:  www.bobsandlolo.com)