What do you do when the rug is pulled out from under your feet?

“Chuck Thomas Close (born July 5, 1940, Monroe, Washington) is an American painter and photographer who achieved fame as a photorealist, through his massive-scale portraits.

On December 7, 1988, Close felt a strange pain in his chest. That day he was at a ceremony honoring local artists in New York City and was waiting to be called to the podium to present an award. Close delivered his speech and then made his way across the street to Beth Israel Medical Center where he suffered a seizure which left him paralyzed from the neck down. The cause was diagnosed as a spinal artery collapse. Close called that day “The Event.” For months, Close was in rehab strengthening his muscles; he soon had slight movement in his arms and could walk, yet only for a few steps. He has relied on a wheelchair since.

However, Close continued to paint with a brush strapped onto his wrist with tape, creating large portraits in low-resolution grid squares created by an assistant. Ironically, while being one of the most successful portrait artists of his time, Close is also afflicted with Prosopagnosia (face blindness), a condition that prevents him from recognizing people’s faces. ” (Wikipedia)

Painting is the most magical of mediums. The transcendence is truly amazing to me every time I go to a museum and I see how somebody figured another way to rub colored dirt on a flat surface and make space where there is no space or make you think of a life experience. (Chuck Close)

I saw him in a documentary a few years ago and was awestruck with what Close has to go through just to get paint on the canvas. Close has the brush strapped to his wrist as he did not regain full mobility after ‘the event’. Now, whenever I start to feel sorry for myself over my health issues, I  draw inspiration from artists like Close.  Despite the major catastrophe Close had to face, he managed to pick himself up, dust himself off and continue to produce brilliant work. I love this man!

Self portrait (Detail)

Self portrait