I am a Visual Artist for ChamberFEST!

I am a Visual Artist for ChamberFEST Cleveland 2012.  I feel Gleeful and Peaceful!  ChamberFEST is Wednesday, June 27th, 2012 in Cleveland, Ohio at the Mixon Hall, The Wine Spot, Harkness Chapel, and Dunham Tavern. Big Bang painting is at Franklin's House. Bob Amy and I went to the Addams Family at Palace Theater at The Playhouse Square. I feel enthusiastic! We are going to New York soon. I am painting with Kip Jacobs. I will go to Niagara Falls this Thursday with Jeff. We are going to Chicago, Illinois; Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin in the October. We are going to Memphis, Tennessee in July. We are going to San Diego in July. I feel Excited and Thrilled about my trips. 

Your Friend, 

Seth

Franklin Cohen and Diana Cohen and Seth Chwast.  I feel gleeful and peaceful.

Big Bang Painting is on the order form.

The school of fish are swimming in the Lake Erie. 

Bob. Amy and I are going to the Addams Family.  

I feel happy

We are in front of Red-Orange Fantasy Horse.

I am holding the Perch. I am with Joan Perch and Jim

Joan and Jim and I are happy. I am in front of Two Fantasy Humpback Whales painting. 

Two Fantasy Humpback Whales is Oil on Canvas.

I am coloring silkscreens. Hippocampus is a Mythic Creature. This is an Artist Proof. 

I finished the Hippocampus is a Mythic Creature. 

I am continuing the Washington Square Archway. 

I am in the Plain Dealer! I feel Excited!

I feel Gleeful!  I am in the Plain Dealer!  I will be famous!  I am an artist.  There is an article about me.  I feel proud.

Your Friend, 

Seth

(Click images for full size view)

Seth Chwast and his mother, Debra, on art and autism: 10 Minutes With ...

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012, 1:54 PM     Updated: Monday, May 21, 2012, 2:19 PM

 By Michael Heaton, The Plain Dealer 
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Seth Chwast has 64 paintings all over the world.

Seth Chwast (pronounced KWAST) was born to Debra Chwast 29 years ago. Doctors told her that Seth, born with autism, would probably be limited to pushing a broom for a living. Today he is an accomplished painter who has sold his work all over the world. Debra of Cleveland Heights published a memoir last year called "An Unexpected Life: A Mother and Son's Story of Love, Determination, Autism and Art." Seth and Debra spoke withPDQ's Michael Heaton

How often do you paint?

Seth: I paint from 10 to 5 every day.

What's the biggest painting you've ever done?

Seth: I did a very big painting. I did "Manhattan Floating." It is 11 feet high and 26 feet wide. It is 104 small paintings. It is my first big painting.

Was writing your book a form of therapy for you?

Debra: Writing my book was more than therapeutic. It was a way of combining my emotional, spiritual and intellectual outlooks in a cohesive manner. [That] led to the joy and appreciation of unexpected life experiences and a deep understanding that Seth's autistic diagnosis was the beginning, not the end, of that journey. This journey has enabled Seth and I to live a beautiful life and touch other people with the hope of a beautiful life.

Did the book put you in contact with other parents of autistic kids?

Debra: We do hear from other parents. Because it took Seth such a long time to find his voice, he is an icon of hope for other families. To quote a woman who responded to our talk in Dartmouth: "I am 87. Nothing surprises me. I was a teacher. With your book, I could have changed the world."

How many paintings have you sold?

Seth: Sixty-four of my paintings live all over the world.

Debra: Seth does not think of selling his paintings. He thinks of them going to new families.

Tell me some of the places around the world where people can see your work.

Seth: I had exhibitions in the Galapagos Islands, the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands, the Museum of Modern Art of the Ukraine, Landhuis Bloemhof in Curacao, the United Nations, the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, the Cleveland Clinic, Penn State College of Medicine, University Hospitals of Case Western Reserve and Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

Is it ever hard to let go of a painting?

Seth: I like my paintings to go all over the world. I like to go visit my paintings.

When did you first begin to paint?

Seth: I did my first painting in 2003.

What is your painting schedule like?

Seth: When I am home, I paint every weekday. I do not paint when we travel.

Your email address is growyourbrain@yahoo.com. What does that mean?

Seth: Painting helps grow your brain.

How long does it take you to do a painting?

Seth: I do not know.

Debra: Seth's time frame is not counted in days or weeks or months. It is counted in "I started, I finished." However, if you tell him the day and year you were born, he can tell you what day of the week it was.

What is your life like with Seth?

Debra: I did everything I could to bring Seth into our world. Now I try to enter his world. His is a world of joy and bliss, color and beauty, authenticity and clarity. Seth lives in the moment. He loves life. He is my teacher. I would tell parents to never give up and to find ways to enjoy their child.

Do you have any theories on the cause of autism?

Debra: Esoterically, I believe autism is a blessing of the universe. In the real world of science and fact, I have no idea where autism comes from.

What are your current plans for the future?

Seth: We will go to Boston; New York; Portland, Ore.; Austin, Texas; and Little Cayman in the Caribbean Sea. I want to go to Australia and New Zealand.

Do you have a favorite destination?

Seth: I want to go to any place that has steak, fries and orange juice.

Debra: Every time we travel, Seth's art explodes. We have a rhythm of times when he takes in the world, followed by times of coming home and painting his new visions. We do have an unexpected life, and it is difficult and it is wonderful.

How can people contact Seth?

Debra: Seth loves making new friends. Please visit us on his website, and Facebook page.

Related topics: autism, painting, seth chwast

I made Silkscreens! I have New Paintings! I feel Gleeful!

I painted the Big Bang for the ChamberFest Cleveland. We went to Walt Disney World Resort.  Now do real world.  I made many new paintings.  I made Silkscreens.  I made Manhattan Floating and Fantasy Hippocampus with Kip in Brooklyn New York.  I Feel proud of the silkscreens.  I made 100 silkscreens.  I made 20 Artist Proofs.  I Will color them in many kinds of colors. I am excited about my artwork.  I will go to New York.  We are going to East 24th Street.  

Your Friend, 

Seth

Big Bang

Manhattan Floating Silkscreen 1/100

Manhattan Floating Silkscreen 1/10 AP

Fantasy Hippocampus Silkscreen 5/100

Fantasy Hippocampus 1/10 AP

Humpback Whale #1

Humpback Whale #2

Dolphin Cut-out

The Kangaroo is Jumping in the air.

Waterfall

Hand is holding the pencil

The  hand is pointing and the hand is grabbing

The hand is on the wood 

Tree

Albatross

Seth and Milton Newmark 

The Venetian Canal. One Building between two rivers and other buildings.

I am in Currents Magazine! Elisabeth Adams-Marks is my friend and came to my Mythic Creature Show.

I am in Currents Magazine! I have an article! Currents Magazine is in Chagrin Falls Ohio. Elisabeth Adams-Marks is my Friend. Elisabeth took pictures at my opening at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in Cleveland Ohio.  Elisabeth wrote about the Mythic Creatures exhibit at CMNH in a blog. Elisabeth came to my house. Elisabeth is buy an abstract and a Manhattan Floating silkscreen. Elisabeth is a good friend. I feel gleeful!


Your Friend,

Seth

I am in Currents Magazine!

I am signing An Unexpected Life books for my friends. 

I am signing An Unexpected Life. I feel Proud. 

Debra and Seth are standing together. I feel peaceful. 

I am Signing more books. 

Elisabeth Adams Marks and Doug Rose are my friends. 

John and Elisabeth

Elisabeth and Lois Rose. Lois took my pictures. 

I am eating. I am happy about Mythic Creatures exhibit. 

I am in my studio. I feel glad. 

From: Secondhand Paper- The blog of Elisabeth adams-markS

FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 2012

Griffins and Dragons and Hippocampus, Oh My!

Seth Chwast: Mythic Works    March 17-June 3 2012

Fawick Gallery, Cleveland Museum of Natural History

When I first saw Seth Chwast on the Today Show on January 1, 2008, I was compelled to share his story with my middle school art students. Diagnosed with autism as a toddler, Seth took his first art class at age 20, two years after it was recommended by specialists that he mop floors for a living. Today, his artwork has been in shown in the Galapagos Islands; The National Gallery of the Cayman Islands; Curacao, Venezuela; and the Museum of Modern Art of the Ukraine. In April 2012, Seth’s art will appear on a United Nations Postal Administration Stamp! While Seth has worked with a series of art mentors, the subject choices, the research, the creativity, the imagination, and the painting itself is pure Seth.

Inspired by Debra Chwast's tenacious spirit, passionate resilience and commitment to the discovery of her son's brilliance as an artist who is autistic, I immediately emailed Seth and Debra for permission to share their story and Seth's artwork with my middle school art students. Seth’s powerful, colorful abstract paintings of animals, birds, cityscapes, and human hands intrinsically focused on the basic Elements and Principles of Design I wanted to teach my students. By 4:30pm on January 1, Seth and Debra, had e-mailed a reply, “We would be honored for you to use Seth’s artwork with your students.”  On January 3, OMS Art 1 students began their first lesson.

Seth Chwast, Griffin

Seth and his mother’s story wove perfectly into my philosophy of education. As the art teacher for Oakville Middle School for the past five years, I design my 6^th, 7^th and 8^th grade visual arts program on a Comprehensive Model Art-for-Life philosophy of education. With the support and encouragement of my principals, my lesson plans integrate interdisciplinary subjects such as: chemistry, biology, math, world history, world cultures, current events, geography, reading, writing, music, and languages into the visual art Elements and Principles of Design, art production, art aesthetics, art criticism, visual culture, peer teaching, technology and self-assessment. Since each student deserves an equal chance to succeed, each lesson is modified and adapted to the needs of my students, beginning with knowledge gained in elementary school and scaffold through the three-year program, to prepare the students not just for high school, but for real life. All students complete the same art projects, but with consideration of each student’s fine motor skills, listening skills, literacy skills, prior knowledge, intelligences, analytical skills, problem solving skills, and abilities to make concrete and abstract decisions.  During projects, students are encouraged to develop other life-skills by: helping each other as needed, sharing ideas and problem-solving, selecting and organizing materials; managing and assessing their own progress; storing their projects and supplemental materials; and cleaning-up their work areas each day. 

Seth Chwast, Hippocampus

Three months after I first contacted Seth and Debra, I sent Debra images of my students’ artwork inspired by Seth along with student illustrated letters to Seth. After many emails over the next few months, twelve Art 1 student created pastel and watercolor paintings were shipped to the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands to be used for art educator workshops, along with my lesson plans about Seth; while Seth’s paintings were exhibited in a solo show, Icons of Cayman, at the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands. From October 2008 until March 2009, over 300 art teachers attended the workshops to learn more about Seth’s artwork and about teaching children with autism. For more information about Seth’s exhibition at the National gallery and the educational art workshops, watch this video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzSCMtU5d5w

Oakville Middle School Art 1 Students' Artwork Exhibited at the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands

Oakville Middle School Art 1 Students' Artwork Exhibited at the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands

In the fall of 2011, Debra asked me to review her new book, An Unexpected Life: A Mother and Son’s Story of Love, for Amazon.com. When Debra invited me to Seth’s opening, Mythic Works, at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History on March 16, 2012, I had to attend. Not only did my husband and I enjoy the opening, meeting Seth and Debra for the first time in person; we also had the opportunity to view and discuss 50 new artworks Seth had created since 2008 specifically for the museum’s exhibition, while Seth and Debra were busy meeting and greeting fans of Seth’s at the book signing.

Debra and Seth Chwast at book signing at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History

Elizabeth Adams-Marks and Seth Chwast at book signing at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History

Seth Chwast and Elizabeth Adams-Marks at Seth's opening "Mythic Works"

The next day, we enjoyed a few hours with Seth and Debra at their home in Cleveland, along with Seth’s current mentor, Amy, who gave us a tour of the hundreds of paintings, drawings and sculptures of Seth’s, lovingly displayed, salon style, in every room throughout the house.

Seth Chwast and his mentor, Amy

Elizabeth Adams-Marks and Seth Chwast looking at photos of students' artwork from Oakville Middle School 

Unable to leave without purchasing one of Seth’s abstract oil paintings, my husband, Peter, and I, along with Debra and Seth, squeezed into a powder room where eight of Seth’s abstracts were hanging. Before we said good-bye, we also purchased the first available silkscreen print of one panel from Seth’s 104 panel acrylic painting, “Manhattan Floating”.

Seth Chwast in his studio

Each semester since January 2008, my students have researched Seth's website, watched the videos about his journey, analyzed his paintings and often shared their own stories of friends and family who struggle with the anxiety and stress of living with a loved one diagnosed with autism. They create their own animal paintings, not only informed by Seth's sensitivity to color, shape and form, but also to his ability to see, hear and process the space between the lines. At the beginning of the project every semester, many of my students don’t think they can draw.  But with Seth as inspiration, by the end of the project, the students are proud of their accomplishments. During the written summative assessments, some students openly share how their beliefs about people with special needs have changed because of Seth.  Not only have their thoughts changed, they also promise that their behaviors will change as well.

As an educator who often works with students who are autistic, I recommend An Unexpected Life: A Mother and Son's Story of Love to anyone who seeks a world beyond apprehension and darkness, beyond the bleak wall of denial, to a celebration of life and a kaleidoscope of possibilities.