A Letter from Ayana
Creativity Explored
Giving artists with developmental disabilities the means to create and share their artwork with the community since 1983
A Letter from Ayana
On Monday and Wednesday mornings my mom drops me off at CE to start my day. I love coming to the studio every week to work on my art and be with my friends.?When I’m at CE I usually work on drawing, painting, and digital illustration. Animals are my favorite subjects. I like to find reference images from books or on Google and then draw my own version of cute creatures like cats, turtles, butterflies, and penguins.
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Digital illustration is something I work on a lot with my Teaching Artist, Gilles Combet. I usually work on the iPads using Procreate. I first learned to do digital art in high school, but coming to CE has improved my skills a lot. Now I can make anything I want with Procreate. Some of my favorite digital art pieces I’ve made are the Golden Gate Bridge and a drawing of dance performers.?
On days I’m not in the studio, I like to go to my dance classes at Steppin’ Out Dance Studio where I do mostly hip-hop. I had my very first dance performance in November and I had so much fun.
I love being an artist and working at the CE studio! Art is my passion and all my friends here are amazing artists too. ?
Thank you for your support,?
Ayana Norwood
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A Note from Creativity Explored
A bright smile and a lively demeanor are signatures of sophomore artist Ayana Norwood. Having started with CE in 2020, Ayana brings an upbeat and original style into the studio.
Ayana’s kind and genuine smile speaks for her most days, as she often is fully absorbed in her artwork. Her teacher artist Gilles Combet speaks of her concentration with admiration.?“She works nonstop – she’s super dedicated to her work. She’s very precise, to the point that she will touch up her pieces pixel by pixel.”
Ayana’s artwork is a lot like her: soft, lighthearted, and full of color. From smiling puppy dogs to bright blue sea turtles swimming over forests of coral, there's no limit to where her imagination can take her.?
As a dedicated artist in our digital art program, Ayana is on the front lines of CE’s future.
A donation to CE gives artists like Ayana the chance to create their own paths, whether pixel-by-pixel or with the spin of a pirouette. CE’s mission is to nurture and empower disabled artists to embrace their creativity and autonomy, and that looks like letting them take the lead.?