By Tanya Steele
Outside of Me has launched at Burrinja this week, with mother and son Leticia Hodson and Wade Keighley presenting their art to the world in a captivating display which opened Saturday 29 March.
The unique exhibition has captured a feeling many parents may be familiar with – the moment you see your child standing in their universe, still with you but now an amazing human doing wonderful things on their own.
Leticia’s son Wade at 13 has captured an array of beautiful shapes and colours in patterned and large canvas works.
His passionate but cultivated art sits alongside his mother’s highly detailed and stunning portraits of her son, capturing him in his moments of creation.
“I do wallpaper painting, which means it’s really big, I like big canvases,” Wade said.
Together the two artists have created a fun and thoughtful exhibition for all to enjoy, with contrast, colour and mixed feelings of joy to heartache radiating from the walls of the Aerie.
Leticia said the main reason the exhibit is called Outside of me stems from the that idea that as a parent, you have to teach skills and there’s a lot of work that goes into learning skills when kids are young.
“Wade’s got a big personality. Schools hard skills can be hard and frustrating, whereas here in this space he can be whatever he wants to be and create whatever he wants to create,” she said.
Parent Leticia said Wade has been working alongside artist Macarena Ocea for the last two years, which is where Wade began to create his own style, separate and different to her own.
“He’s extremely expressive and uses a lot of colour, I work very detailed and very tight,” she said.
Letitica said that the process of Wade’s art is completely different to hers and her being separate to the process creates more freedom for him to express himself.
“He can make mess, and he can make chaos, and he can create,” she said.
Leticia said she had been looking for an outlet for Wade to be social and hone some of his fine motor skills and when he met Macarena through the Aerie the duo became friends.
“Macarena is a very good friend,” said Wade.
“We also paint,” he said.
“I began to teach him a little bit here and there,” Macarena said.
Macarena is an artist who does punch needs work and who has loved developing a friendship and working artist relationship with Wade, the two speak a little Spanish to each other and listen to some of Wade’s favourite pop songs while they both work on their separate projects.
“He allows me to be playful as well,” she said.
Macarena said Wade’s style is inspired by his music and the process starts quite loose but becomes quite intentional, creating large canvas works in a kaleidoscope of colours and shapes.
“Patterning is like the way he kind of evolved into the painting,” she said.
“He will go into repetition and create different patterns that way, where they come to life.”
“It’s a combination of freedom, joy and sort of movement around it, but it’s very followed by pattern, where I do see a kind of perfectionism.”
Wade was born with Down syndrome and while this is important, it’s not what has driven the art he has created or been the reason for it.
“Down syndrome is not the centre of the story – however yes, it’s relevant,” said Leticia.
“It’s helped his talent, but he lives very much in the moment, and he doesn’t see the world the same way we do.
“He’s not he has no self-doubt, he does it purely for him.”
“When I see Wade doing something amazing, I feel like I’m in the presence of something quite magical, he is capable of anything,” said Macarena.
As a parent Leticia has seen the friendship and Wade’s style as an artist flourish and has been able to enjoy it from the sidelines.
“This whole side of him has nothing to do with me,” said Leticia.
Representing around a year’s worth of work for both artists the joint exhibit will be open until 11 May.
The free exhibition will be on display at Burrinja in Upwey, Wednesday to Sunday from 10am – 4pm.
