Tim Discovers His Talent

Tim Unger is a young man who recently saw a dream of his come to life in an amazing way. Tim has drawn pictures since he was a child but never really saw himself as an artist. About two years ago, he decided to focus more on expanding his artistic abilities. Through Day Services' programming, he was able to access the Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts. This non-profit arts centre's wonderful environment supports artistic growth and adventure for individuals with developmental disabilities. The centre offers a variety of tools and supplies and trained artists on staff, all within a studio environment.

When Tim started, he was excited about having the chance to draw for an extended period (the centre is open to artists from 10 am to 2 pm). During the first few weeks, it was almost as if the artistic fire inside of him had exploded, and he drew non-stop, hour after hour. His favourite subjects at the time were pictures of animals and possessions he brought from home.

Individuals accessing the centre agree to leave their best work behind, for consideration when the lead artists are putting together exhibits (there is also a gallery attached to the studio). If their paintings are sold, the artist receives half the price for their work. Within a few months of him being at the studio, two of Tim's pieces were chosen for a show in the gallery.

As time went on, Tim gained confidence and began using new materials. He worked on collages and also tried using a brush and acrylic paints (previously he had primarily used oil pastels). His work was described by artist/facilitator David Janzen as follows: "Tim's style is unique. His erratic, sinuous lines-seemingly produced without lifting his brush or pastel from the surface of the page-energetically describe his subject with barely contained excitement."

Sometimes, Tim lacked confidence in his ability to do fine or detailed work until one of the lead artists (Marta) suggested that he try practicing his drawing by attaching vellum to other pictures and tracing the outlines. This was the beginning of a whole new artistic world for Tim. Using the outlines as guides, Tim was able to focus more closely on each individual line and began choosing different subjects and completing smaller pieces. His work became much more detailed and he amazed himself at the smoothness of his lines and his ability to reproduce images.

He then began adding colour to his traced drawings, and in David Janzen's words, Tim "developed a way of tracing and colouring, to produce a whole new hybrid of imagery." Tim began choosing paintings by old and modern masters as the basis for his work. He successfully reproduced a painting by Toulouse Lautrec by tracing on vellum and then adding colour through oil pastels. He re-interpreted a classic painting using his own style and made it into something uniquely his own. Lead artists at the centre were excited about this new work, and it was framed and included in the next show.

Imagine Tim's pride in his own vision and abilities when he learned that, not only did this piece of art sell, it was fought over by two different buyers! A "winner" was chosen, and Tim received a cheque for his portion of the price. He was ecstatic over the fact that he had earned the money directly because of his artistic abilities.

Tim continues to access the arts centre weekly and now definitely sees himself as the artist that he is. It has been a genuine delight watching Tim grow as an artist, pursue his own artistic vision, and enjoy freedom of choice. We wish you all the best in your artistic endeavours, Tim!