Happy New Year! We are so pleased to feature Maria as our January 2017 Young Artist Highlight! Maria is a high school senior at P138 at J47 in New York City who, for the last three years, has been actively involved in The Laser Painting Program with Deborah Dawson, as Facilitator, an ArtWorks Teaching Artist. Maria has Cerebral Palsy and is non-verbal with limited movement in her upper extremities. Maria paints large, colorful, abstract, expressionist paintings by pointing a laser that is attached to her with a headband or wristband. Deborah, follows her laser movements with a paint brush and Maria communicates through eye gazes, head nods, and yes or no symbols. She makes all creative decisions from choosing colors, the size of her paint brushes, and when a painting is finished. Maria always has a delightful disposition, a beautiful smile and recognizable laugh! We are so fortunate to celebrate her spirit and creativity in this month’s #YoungArtistHighlight!