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Artist Cara Sprouls is the Artist of the Month at JJ’s A Gift Shop.
April is National Autism Awareness Month. Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication and restrictive and repetitive behavior. In the United States 1 in 68 children are autistic. This is an increase of 30% since 1980. The exact cause of autism is unknown but includes a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
Jimmie Johnson, owner of JJ’s A Gift Shop in Oracle, in order to help bring awareness of autism has chosen as this month’s “Artist of the Month” Cara Sprouls. Cara is 31-year-old woman with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Her parents live in SaddleBrooke. She is an accomplished and talented artist who enjoys creating works of art using the medium of colored pencils. Cara currently lives in Connecticut as a 10-year member of Vista Life Innovations, a non-profit organization that provides services and resources to assist people with disabilities.
Thanks to Vista Life Innovations, Cara lives more independently than most people with autism that do not have access to the services provided by organizations such as Vista Life Innovations. She has a job stocking medical drawers and crash carts for local hospitals. She loves to travel and enjoys learning about the food and culture of the places she visits. She has learned to say hello and goodbye in as many foreign languages as she can.
The art of Cara Sprouls.
Cara has been drawing since she was a child. Her knowledge of composition and color is self-taught. An elementary school art teacher was impressed with her work and told her parents that she could be a professional colorist one day. Cara enjoys traveling and visiting her family in SaddleBrooke. She loves hiking and often uses what she sees in her art work. Her work has been displayed in a variety of galleries in the East and in 2016, she had three of her pieces selected for a juried international art show, “Unspoken Words: Works by Autistic Artists”. The exhibit was held in Bethlehem, New Hampshire and featured the works of nine artists. Cara’s mother, Barbara Russo-Sprouls says, “A lot of people are looking at collecting art by autistic artists. It speaks to them and is authentic.”
The art of Cara Sprouls.
Internationally renowned 3-Dimensional pop artist, Charles Fazzino invited Cara to do the backdrop of a New York skyline in one of his paintings.
“I’m quite proud of her,” said her mother. “Her dream is to become a popular artist. Art is the way she expresses herself. Nature really talks to her and I’m really grateful that she has the talent to show us what she sees.”
The art of Cara Sprouls.
Barbara Russo-Sprouls said that they are trying to raise money for scholarships to Vista Life Innovations through the sale of Cara’s art. She hopes the community will support Cara and her art. To learn more about Vista Life Innovations and how you can help, visit www.vistalifeinnovations.org.
And if you want to see more of Cara’s work, visit JJ’s A Gift Shop located at Sue & Jerry’s Trading Post in Oracle.
The art of Cara Sprouls.
John Hernandez lives in Oracle. He is retired and enjoys writing and traveling. He is active in the Oracle Historical Society. He covers numerous public events, researches historical features and writes business/artist profiles.
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