[blatant maternal posturing] So, it seems that my hyperactive, autistic son has some artistic talent, and the school district's art teacher has been working with him one-on-one every Friday this year. In January, the school submitted two of his works to the Michigan chapter of an organization called VSA Arts, which is an affiliate of the National Center for the Arts. It was a juried competition, with 171 entries from Michigan. 60 were accepted, including both of Ben's pieces, called Underwater Scene and Bingothxt Store, and Bingothxt Store was selected to represent Michigan in the international exhibit in Washington DC. Bingothxt Store was accepted there as well.

So, Underwater Scene is now in an exhibit touring Michigan, and Bingothxt Store is on national tour. You can see Bingothxt Store here:

http://www.vsaarts.org/gallery/exhibits/chshow00/chshow0c.html

[/blatant maternal posturing]

Well done Ben, and I'm sure maternal support was one of the keys to his success.

Bingley

The warm colours are the colours of a fire - lovely!

Way to go Ben!

You and Ben should be proud. As a former scholastic art award winner meself [puffed-up-feathers-e] I know what a thrill it is to be honored like that. Bingley is right, too -- artists need strong family support, and Ben is certainly a talented artist. I love the colors, particularly the way similar colors are grouped together (pink/purple, red/orange, blue/green). Speaking as an AWADer, might I also add that Bingothxe is a great word. Reminds me of the old Superman character Mr. Mxylplx (sp?). Does Bingothxe mean anything?

Sparteye,
Thank you for sharing Ben's accomplishment. I see a lot of promise in all the art work. Ben's work offers many little vignettes that invite exploration. Congratulations to mother and son!

chronist

Thank you all for the kind words. I wish that the Michigan affiliate had its exhibit online, since I really like Underwater Scene a lot better - more traditionally representational and a cool color scheme, which is my preference. Ben is a prolific artist, to say the least.

Does Bingothxe mean anything?

Ben created "Bingothxt" to describe a type of store which stocks fanciful gadgets. The items in his work are all Rube Goldberg gizmos. Where the "Bingo" part came from, I don't know, but I think that "thxt" might have some relationship to "tech."

Flats is an award-winning artist! So, now I am wondering at the visual-arts backgrounds of our multi-talented group. We have discerned special affinities for music and food; what about painting, drawing, and sculpture? I confess to some talent, although untrained. In my fantasy life, I have time to paint.

Hurrah for you and Ben, Sparteye!