Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
OK, my name is Lucy Infante. I'm a mother of two and I have six grandchildren
and they're all adorable
I got into the art
business
on my own
I've always loved colors
and uh...
So I started studying on my own, you know, going to Barnes & Noble,
and reading up on Matisse
Van Gogh, and Picasso
and just studying their art, and one day I found myself
sketching my daughters when they were little girls
and that's how I started
by sketching them and now, every time I do an art piece, I sketch it first
before I do it
you know to get the gist of it
like this piece
right here
it's a still life abstract
and I incorporated both of them
because uh...
I had, like I said, I put layers
I had something here before and I didn't like it so I added these flowers to brighten it up
because
this seems so serious to me
you know, a woman holding her child
and it felt like she never wanted to let go of the child
so you could tell that she's really holding back the child
you know that's that's what I was feeling at the moment
And maybe in my own
life
you know since I had two daughters in my life
there were times when I was holding on tight
and not letting go
I guess it came out in this picture
I mean painting
it helps me because I love
flowers
I love nature, it brightens me up
I love
being a mother and having my children, so in that
aspect that it
brightens me up
and because I love it so much
there are times when I'll paint and I'll say oh no, this is not
good and I'll just
and then I'll just blacken it
and just stare at it and now, what should I do?
I don't like this black, so then I change it
put the white over and over until it's really white and then
I'll paint something
that's cheerful because I love colors so I'll look for the brightness
and colors
not to... only sometimes
But I like more colors
they're more expressive
I love this one
because it
is an exaggeration
of Van Gogh's
painting that he did
and
I can relate with Van Gogh because he also
was mentally challenged
the flower
you know what the exaggeration of the sunflowers
so I can relate yes I can relate with him
I like a lot
of good emotions but sometimes
I will express some sad emotions since
so it it depends on how I'm feeling that day
if my mood is right
because one day I will be fine and the next day I could be moody
so it comes out in the paintings
This is "Lost in Thought"
and the reason I put this because I was lost in thought
I couldn't finish the painting
You know it was from 2010 that I started and I haven't finished it
it was like half
half and half
and I don't know what got into me that I
just made her face
I tripled it
and stepped back and looked at it
I said
my god
you know she really is lost in thought, like me
and you know in a way, it started also as I was trying to do
because I started
doing it and that's a portrait of me
I have short hair
you know I used to wear it like that
sticking out like that
so in a way she's a little bit of me
you know, lost in thoughts. What motivates me to paint?
that I love it
and that uh... it relaxes me
and there's nobody around to tell me what to do
or interrupt me
or
uh... just
I just engulf myself
into it
you know and it's another world, it's like you're in another world
Hi, my name is Jamal Williams, I'm 29 years old
I come from
I'm originally from the Bronx
but I moved her to North Carolina in August of 2009 to be with my family
I like being here also, it's a good environment
I saw it
I came here in February of 2010 because
I had a mental illness
starting way back in 2002
had a mental breakdown
so it was a very long time before I came here
in February of 2010
I felt like I could communicate with other people, I could feel more normal-minded
so that's why I like coming here, it's a really good place for me
When I work on my drawings, it makes me feel
more happier
it makes me feel happier
it makes me feel calmer, more calm
It makes me feel like
I have a tie
something I can display
and work on that's
for myself and that's mine
That's why I like drawing
I have been doing this for a lot of years, so I'm kind of used to it
but I guess it has changed my life a bit
but as I
grow my characters grow, my drawings grow
I mostly draw spirit characters, so I have been drawing my own spirit characters since
I was nine years old
my first
group of characters I have drawn were
... I remember the date, Nov. 17, 1992
so when I say that my characters have grown as I have grown
I mean that I give them new powers, new origins
I give them
new allies
I give them more enemies to fight, bigger, stronger enemies
especially Ninjas, I give them bigger and stronger enemies and make them grow
more as the other characters
I am kind of a perfectionist when it comes to my drawings, so I
think, you know, you think they look like that and they're really good, but I think they could look a lot better
the drawings and the art are the biggest things in my life
and in my day
Honestly
it's
I guess you could say it's enjoyable but sometimes I do get frustrated that it doesn't
come out right
so I get a little upset if it doesn't come out right, so
but you know one day I'll be able to achieve my goal, which is to make
it look like a quintessential comic book character
I can look forward to it
I can really do better with my drawings
But I feel like I can look forward to it more
so again it's fun for me even though it is stressful sometimes
I want them to say, "oh man, that guy did a good job on his drawings."
I wish I could be like him someday
maybe a little kid will look at it
and say "gee mommy and daddy I want to be like him when I grow up"
it makes me feel inspired, it makes me feel more motivated to do my drawings
even though drawing makes me happy, it would help
to get my work out there and show it to other people
so yeah but
I think drawing would make me happier
I decided to participate in this project because
I want to get my work out there
I want people to see that I'm a good artist
so yeah, it's good that I can do that
I would love a scout to find me
and give me a contact at Marvel or DC Comics or whatever
I know that even if I don't get to work for Marvel Comics
or any of that
I can still get some cool
it makes me motivated to
do more better at that
with better drawing skills
so that's what I've been thinking about
if I go to the art exhibit then
they see my work and say oh this is good, but you need to work on that
that will get me more hopped up to
do better and make my drawings look better
that's really the payoff for me
the drawings help my mental recovery by
making my mind feel more uplifted
more
energized
like I can do more if I want to
so if I draw my characters
I think oh man I can't wait to draw this character
I say I can't withdraw a character
my mind will be racing and I'll come up with
more ideas
I will feel more in to it
I will feel like myself, more normal
so that's how it helps with my mental illness
Why is that important for other people to know?
Because it can help them with their mental illness as well
you help them
do better with their mental illness
if they draw a picture of their own then they can feel more relived with themselves
That's what I think
Hi my name is Loretta McCutchen
I was working on this piece
here
this one in the background here
I have been working on it for
maybe about
a year and a half
I started making it when I was
in
The Caldwell Women's Shelter, at the Presbyterian Church they have a shelter
they partner with the Salvation Army
but anyways, I was staying right there and
some of the girls were noticing that I
had starting picking items up from the ground, off the sidewalks
not if it was dirty though, there's no way, because I have a problem with dirt
so I started to save them up
to make
I knew what I wanted to make but I didn't really know how to piece it, so I thought well
uh...
I got the idea
that maybe
you know how people say you start at square one
you know
so i thought well I'll just start in the middle
and work my way out
and
I just started to glue pieces
in a circle, I know in some places it doesn't look like it ended up in a circle
I think it turned out square, kind of, in the end but
the things
things that I found on the sidewalks
the time that I was homeless
and I stayed in the Caldwell Shelter
and that
it wasn't just me, it was
whatever I started to accumulate
some of the girls
in the shelter
they saw what I was doing at night with my
with my glue and my weird things
when I come home to
the shelter in the evening
I'd find things laying on my
that the girls had donated
I started making a
some gift bags, too, when I was in the hospital
and and
my friend Sue, she's a genius
she said
why don't you
see, how did I do it?
at first I just made them into just regular pictures
and put them into some frames
that I found at the free store
uh...
I brought them over to this store called Ruby's Gift in NoDa
and I asked them if I could try to sell my pictures there
but I had my little cloth bag that I was carrying
and I had some that, a couple that I had put on a bag, you know
because that was my friend Sue's idea
she looked in my bag, the lady at the counter, and she
well those look nice, why don't we shoot for these
I was like "oh!"
and so uh... uh...
so I started drawing, freehand drawing, my pictures
and putting the color on with my colored pencils
and put them on these
bags
and so
I just keep drawing
and
keep doing my art
and and
it's peaceful
it's a peaceful thing to do
I hope that they learn
that from
there is
comfort
in creating
uh... well it
it's peaceful you know
you've got your glue or whatever you're doing
well, if someone is a painter, I'm not really much of a painter but
I mean if someone is like a painter
or does what I do or whatever
sculpts or whatever
there's relaxation in that
I found that for me personally
uh...
it takes you away from your stress
I think
well even when you dislike
on a personal note when I even just look at some art
I try to... like that picture on the wall here, of the dogs
this is just me though
I try to look for the artist's heart in the picture
what were they going through?
or
what was on their mind?
whenever they made this
and did they find comfort in it
My name is Wayne Russell
I'm very athletic, I play all sports, football
baseball, basketball
I should have been a pro athlete but I didn't make it
so I found luck. I wanted to be a baseball player, short stop for the New York Yankees
but Derek Jeter beat me out for it
that's life
this is not very creative, it's a house
that's beautiful!
Thank you. What does that house mean to you then?
Independence. I have my own place.
I'm not worried about it, I wish I
could go for about 20 years from now
... this is my house, this is where I stay at
and that means independence for me
... live there all their life
they grow up, move out, and take care of themselves
you can't live with your parents all your life
you've got to move on
how many people go for
independence? How many people are going to care for you all your life?
you feel like a child, you don't feel like an adult
that's childish
grow up, be on your own
take care of yourself
I also want to be living in
twenty years from now
I want to have my own place 20 years from now
it doesn't mean nothing
I can't say what I really mean by it, it's a drawing
it depends on what I feel like that day
...
those dark colors, look like
very sad. Maybe I feel sad, I know why
most people they get upset because of the reality they're going to die
that's why most people get sick
most mental people
so they get real sad
when I started painting
and I started to draw it
... yeah, yeah, "The Scream"
that's a sound looking painting
He must have been sad that day
I like painting that's
more
more
trees
I like realistic painting
I might could do that
anybody could do that, even a child could do that
most people can't draw, reality painting. People draw people, landscaping,
that's the kind of painting I like to look at
How does it make you feel when people
either look at your paintings or hear your songs?
Nice, nice
I feel good about myself
How do you feel about the fact that I really liked the painting and I would use it for something?
That's great, I feel good
But
we're off the topic
take your mind off certain things
that make you sad
be joyful in life, be merry, eat, drink and be merry
that's what I was taught, eat, drink and be merry
there is a place for us to live after we live here
we go to a better place when we leave this planet
Well my name is Desira, and I was born with a disability called cerebral palsey
which affects my muscles
and sometimes my motor skills
words are very hard for me to express because I feel like most of the time
some people overlook my work or they misunderstand me so
painting is like you don't really have to be verbal
um...
painting is like another form of communication
is like
something where
you can use a certain color and a person can pick up and say oh
is that what she's feeling? Or maybe she's feeling this type of way because of certain things
you know so there's all different types and forms of communication, it just depends on how
you want to look at it
well painting can show some of my frustrations, it may show some of my
good times, my bad times, and some of my in-between times
but it is up to
the person sees it to say well that doesn't mean that she's a bad person
she might be going through stuff just like we are, just a little different or a lot more than I do
I may express
I don't know, it could be childhood
pain
it could be happiness, it could be
frustration, it could be anger
just whatever
your mind and
your art
your emotions allow you to go
well, most of the time I already have an image in my head, or a color I see in my head
I try to just put it on the
board
if I see a mixture of color then I try to mix it
and bring that feeling and emotion across
Well, it could bring up some negative emotions at times and then
when art is all finished
it might bring up some things that, maybe I can do this, oh I never thought I could do this
because I never had the chance
so, I'm always into trying new things, even though I've never tried them before
that has helped me become a better person
not so angry, not so alone
not wanting to be around people
so i think that uh... it gives me a better
if people are better understanding of who I am as a person
because they don't just see my wheelchair
they see
my art through a different light
back in the day, I guess when people were
becoming social workers and case managers
doctors and clinicians and
you know those doctors, they'll prescribe medicine
they're stuck on the fact that we have to go about it this way and you have to do what I say
you know, but that's not giving a personal voice
you should work together with that person, well say, what can I do to help?
you know, because
we work together as a team
Basically, art can keep you out of institutions, it can give you something
a broader door opens
you know it can
close down doors that should have been closed down a long time ago
and it can help you release
whatever you're feeling, whether its pain, frustration, feeling left out
or discriminated against
it may help
you know close
some of those doors down
I think that you know
there have been a lot of people that have been stuck on the fact, well, I have a mental illness and
my case manager said I can't do this or my parents say I can't do this because
of such-and-such, and I think
what we have to do is bring a lot of families together and say
well just because your
child has a disability and a mental illness it doesn't mean
that they can't reach for the stars
that it doesn't mean
that you're supposed to limit them
whatever their ability is
you should work on that ability
and help
them become
something that they desire
whether its working for themselves
advocating for themselves
drive a car
it shouldn't matter
Because I've had a lot of people who have said I can't do this and I can't do that
Maybe I can't do it as well as you
but I can do something in this world
If you give me the chance, I could probably do it
But if you stigmatize me
or put me down
then you're missing out
Well, my name is Richard Melgar
I've been coming here to purchase for some two years now
and I stay at home with my parents
my mother, my father, and my sister
I enjoy coming here to Bridges
I enjoy doing art to help me with recovery
Here I'm part of the
food group and we
learn things about
the kitchen and the supplies
and I'm also part of the expressions group
where
we learn different types of art
we get to um... show it to each other and talk about things
and I like those things
well um... I think my case manager uh... suggested it for me after she was
working with me for some time
and we were thinking this would be a good place for me
I like to draw with
drawings and
I like to use colors with them too
and
it is something that I enjoy doing
and it make me feel good about myself
and I also like the different colors that I could use
and I get to show things about myself to other people, and they get to tell me
about it
what they like and what they don't like
okay uh... well some words uh... in different colors for example here
the word "strong"
and here the word "hoping"
and it's just how I think
I'm doing in my recovery
And I like to use different colors to make different shapes
and different things that I like
for example you know I have two people hugging
and in the background in blue I have the word "hugs"
So it makes me feel happy and I try to feel positive things there
Because it makes me feel like I can do something
to something positive something for myself
and
I enjoy the process of it because I can
learn how to do different things
from time to time I can check it
at a different time, maybe I was wondering could I have done this better?
things like that
I wanted to show some good things
about
I try to do something
I get involved with, for example, basketball
I like to play basketball
and
just the sun, for example,
I think about how the sun makes people think about a great day, things like that
Because they're always telling me that I'm doing a good job
and my father, for example, he tells me
from when I was younger
this is something he likes seeing me do
and he's proud of me and he gives me some confidence in myself
So, I really enjoy that
My friends have been telling me that they like
my drawings
and they think that I should keep at it
It helps me with my self esteem because
it makes me feel like I can keep going forward
and doing better for myself
if I know that they think I'm doing good
they think it is something I should keep at. I just thought it would be a good thing for me to
participate
and I think it's a great idea for people to see other people's work and
say look what he did, he's doing something good
I think something people need to hear sometimes
because if you go throughout the day sometimes feeling bad about
themselves
and if they can see that they're doing something
that they know is helping themselves, then they say hey, you're doing a good job
to try and help themselves out
Well I think it can affect a person and how they see that person
it can show them
certain feelings like if they're feeling happy or sad
they can see that in the artwork
some people like to do those things for example and I like to put positive things about
things
that
I want to be about
they say
he's only showing certain color patterns
and it's something they're good at
Yes, I tell myself I want to do this
type of thing at this time
and it will slowly but surely come out
and I'll start saying I want it to turn out this way
and then
I'll just try
different things that sometimes
times I might feel sad
and I'll try to think about something that
I enjoy so
I'll try to put that on the paper
the canvass
and see how it can go
it is something that has been with me since I was young
and I really enjoy how I can do things and show them to the people
if you put it down
and they can see it and talk about it
and you can learn something different every day
if many people are seeing it then
you get different views
and you can say oh this is something I didn't know I was showing
but it is something that they said
that they saw in it
so that's interesting and
I hope people can try to see those things
when they see the artwork
and project, and I think it's
good to try to show some
clear pictures in their heads
that they
trying to maintain some stability in life I think
it helps out that way.