MAEA 07 Dan Keplinger

"... Another fantastic speaker we had at the conference was Dan Keplinger of “King Gimp” fame. He, along with Dr. Kay Broadwater, conducted an eye opening workshop on pastel portraits which used color and line to show emotions and feelings. Dan is a student at Towson University who has recently completed his MFA in painting. Dan was born with cerebral palsy and his unmistakable drive to pursue art is nothing short of inspirational. Dan has overcome many obstacles along the way, and when he jumped down from his wheelchair to demonstrate for us he brought tears to everyone’s eyes. We were all in awe of his courage. Dan demonstrated using his head stick loaded with colorful chalk to sketch in his ideas and blend colors and lines while creating his artwork. Watching his head swing back and forth and his raw determination to express his inner self inspired so many as Kay assisted in the translation. Upon completion of his revealing artwork participants created their own personal self portraits. The power of art and its ability to heal, inspire and give voice to many was evident that day. "
~ Riselle Abrams