Paper Clouds Apparel Artists
Here is your opportunity to learn about the talented artists with special needs whose artistic creations have come to life.
Ruby
Ruby's Rainbow
Ruby is a smart, energetic, witty and hilarious 9 year old who just happens to be rockin’ an extra chromosome. Her parents didn’t know she had Down syndrome until she was born, but they immediately knew she would change the world! She is the inspiration behind Ruby’s Rainbow, a nonprofit organization that grants scholarships to people with Down syndrome for higher education so they can go for their dreams! Ruby is very proud of what Ruby’s Rainbow is doing to help show the world that people rockin’ it- just like her- are amazing, capable and worthy. She loves hanging out with her family, friends and pets, playing with her babies and barbies, and eating Goldfish crackers. She hopes you enjoy these designs that she created with the help of her biggest cheerleader, her big sister Ella Mae.
John
Guitars for Good III - Bri Bagwell
John was born with spina bifida and runs the Social Media & Fan Club Logistics for Bri Bagwell. Spina Bifida is a birth defect that occurs in the womb during the first few weeks of pregnancy. It affects the nerves of the spine because the neural tube does not develop properly and results in damage to the nerves along the spine. It affects anywhere from 1,500 to 2,000 babies each year. It can range from mild to severe, depending on location and complications like walking and mobility, orthopedic, bowel and bladder problems, and hydrocephalus. Sometimes, many surgeries are necessary. The goal of treatment is to improve health and quality of life with community participation the ultimate goal.
Donna
Guitars for Good III - Parker McCollum
Taylor
Guitars for Good - Shane Smith & The Saints
Taylor is the younger brother of Shane Smith and the artist behind this awesome design. Taylor was born at 28 weeks with a craniofacial syndrome known as Treacher-Collins. It is a rare genetic syndrome that occurs in about 1 of every 50,000. About 60% of the kids born with this are “new mutations”, which is Taylor’s case. He was in the neo-natal nursery at Baylor Hospital in Dallas for 6 months before coming home. He has had approximately 14 surgeries, all occurring before the age of 8. He was diagnosed with autism at age 4, but has overcome most of those issues. He also has Central Auditory Processing Disorder, which has been by far the biggest obstacle in his development. He is unable to process words auditorally, in spite of a hearing aid that allows him to hear. His only communication is through sign language, and he is completely non-verbal. He is also unable to swallow so is completely tube fed. He turned 30 this year and is incredibly gifted with legos. He has won 6 blue ribbons at the State Fair of Texas over the last 10 years, including one this year. His LEGO models contain more than 4000 pieces. He is very intelligent and has an incredible memory. Taylor is our 4th and youngest son. He enjoys going to Shane’s shows and loves riding roller coasters and fair rides. He also loves riding horses at Jake E’s riding roundup. Taylor is an incredible blessing to our whole family and I thank God for him everyday!!
Deanna
Guitars for Good - Sarah Ross/Jarros Flusche
Deanna is the amazing artist behind this incredible design. Deanna is a young women living with an intellectual disability that causes difficulty thinking and understanding. It also impacts certain conceptual, social, and practical skills. She enjoys all types of Art. She loves Music, Movies, Animals and spending time with her family.
Jacey
TR 4 Heart and Soul
Jacey is a 9 year old who lives in Mandan, ND. She was diagnosed with Autism at 3 ½ years old. Anyone who knows Jacey well will describe her as a creative young lady with an incredible sense of humor. Jacey enjoys being creative, crafting, drawing, horse therapy at TR4HAS with Katie Oakland, doing Karate, and playing Lacrosse and Volleyball.
Brooklyn
TR 4 Heart and Soul
Brooklyn is an animal lover through and through. If she isn’t found spending time with animals, she is drawing them, or writing stories about them. Brooklyn is a free spirit who loves to be active. Her kind fun loving personality is infectious! With her large imagination she gets us all to participate in dinosaur digs, backyard rodeo’s, and safari hunts! Brooklyn is the oldest of 2 girls and has a dog named Copper that is always at her side.
Zachary
TR 4 Heart and Soul
Zachary is 14 years old who loves to ride horses. This has proven to be a calming activity for him and he looks forward to earning a ribbon and sometimes even getting a trophy for his hard work at TR4 Heart and Soul (Like the one in his profile picture!). When Zachary isn’t riding horses, he likes to take walks, listen to music, color pictures, and ride coasters at the local zoo and at the carnival when it comes to town. Zachary just finished middle school, and now is attending summer school at Bismarck High School. With the help of his aids, he is becoming comfortable with the new classrooms and teachers before he begins 9th grade. Zachary was thrilled to hear that was a finalist in the art contest!
Reese
Children's Mercy Kansas City
Reese was born on September 16, 2011 & surprised us with a diagnosis of Down syndrome along with a congenital heart defect. We spent much of her first year at Children’s Mercy Hospital rotating through a variety of specialties, including cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, general surgery, gastroenterology, audiology, ophthalmology & endocrinology. CMH was like a second home to us. On April 25, 2012, Reese underwent open heart surgery that literally saved her life. We are forever indebted to the staff at Children’s Mercy & would like to give a little back to show our appreciation.
As a toddler, Reese received weekly PT, OT & speech therapy. She showed an early affinity for sign language & ASL was her primary mode of communication until her speech emerged. Although she now rarely signs, we will always hold sign language near & dear to our heart. Reese loves school & just graduated from first grade. In her spare time, she takes dance & gymnastics, films makeup “tutorials” and terrorizes her three sisters. Reese loves animals (she has three dogs, two cats & a revolving door of foster animals), so we decided to partner with the animal therapy program at CMH for this project.
Reese’s sister, Reagan, is the most artistically inclined person in our family, so she helped Reese with the designs. Reagan drew the majority of the images while Reese added the color & text. It was such a fun collaboration for the two.
Axel
Galletin Miracle Park Part I & II
Axel is a nine year old bundle of energy from Gallatin, Tennessee. He, along with his older brother, were diagnosed on the autism spectrum. He shares his home and love with two older brothers and one older sister. He is a math whiz, loves to learn new things, cooking, and creating art. He has been home schooled since Kindergarten with his siblings. Although shy at first, he loves meeting new people that let him take his time opening up to them. His REAL passion is animals though. His family rescues and adopts out orphaned and stray animals. There is no way the rescue would be successful without his diligent work. He has a particular way with every new animal he meets and has learned so much about restoring their health and trust in humans. He is a giving boy that understands the importance of finding just the right home for each animal, and when it’s time he says goodbye with bravery and a sense of pride in his work. Like most kids his age, he loves video games and YouTube. He wants to be a “famous Youtuber” when he grows up. He has chosen Gallatin Miracle Park to receive his donations. It will be the first all inclusive park in his city, and he can’t wait to meet new friends there one day, knowing that he helped build it.
Chloe
Galletin Miracle Park Part II
Chloe is a fourteen year old, hilarious, bundle of fun from Gallatin, Tennessee. She is the big sister to Axel, the previous artist, that is also raising money for Gallatin Miracle Park. Chloe has been homeschooled, along with her three brothers, since she was in first grade. She enjoys chatting with her equally hilarious friends, creating art on paper and graphically, teaming up with her older brother to make the whole family laugh, and she is a huge Twenty One Pilots fan. She is right in the middle of four brothers and two little sisters. She takes her role in the family seriously and is always ready to lend a hand when needed. Family always comes first for Chloe and her siblings. She is a wonderful example of kindness and loyalty for her little brothers and sisters. She lights up any room she’s in with her personality and humor, and she can usually be found with a sketch pad in her hand, whether at home or away, and her creations never fail to bring a smile to the faces of anyone that sees them.
Elizabeth
Startdust - OSBi Campaign
Elizabeth discovered her love of the arts just two years ago after becoming a wonderful addition to the One Step Beyond Art Studio. Elizabeth’s favorite thing about art? “Well…Everything! I love to challenge myself and keep trying new things in art” Elizabeth would like to show her love of art to the world in hopes that others will enjoy her work as much as she enjoys making it. Elizabeth has truly blossomed in such a short amount of time already having her work shown at Avondale Culture Pop Festival last year. Her work will also be featured in the Artist Alley at One Step Beyond’s booth at Phoenix Fan Fusion in May 2019.
Marcel
Fozzy Bear - OSBI Campaign
“Art is the most fun!” It is exactly this fantastic energy that translates into all the artwork that Marcel creates. While clay is Marcel’s favorite medium to use in One Step Beyond’s Art Studio, it is his playful portraits of his favorite animators surrounded by their beloved characters that he is so well known for. Marcel’s work has been displayed Art One’s Gallery in Scottsdale as well as last year’s Avondale Culture Pop Festival. Marcel will have his work featured at Wham Gallery in Surprise in August of 2019.
Malcom
Owl - OSBI Campaign
Malcolm is rarely seen without a pencil or paint brush in hand. He is well-known for is incredible attention to the smallest of details as well as his truly brilliant eye for color. Malcolm loves every art medium that he is able to get his hands on in The One Step Beyond Art Studio. He uses them all to create truly stunning works of art, animals being his favored subject. Malcolm has had his work featured at Art One Gallery in Scottsdale, Avondale Culture Pop Festival and currently has pieces on display at Sunsational Coffee in Surprise. He will be featured in the Artist Alley at One Step Beyond’s booth at Phoenix Fan Fusion in May 2019.
Anthony Grow
Sidekick Super Hero - OSBI Campaign
Anthony has been an important part of the Art Program at One Step Beyond for many years. He is a very talented artist as well as author and screen writer. Most of the characters that he draws and creates are characters in his writings. Anthony specifies that “this character is part of a script in a movie that I ‘am writing inspired by the movie Wreck It Ralph about a cartoon sidekick”. One of Anthony’s many skill sets is to be able to recreate images that he sees on screen. He also loves to come up with his own images, characters, and designs as well. This is one of his original character designs who he has big plans for…stay tuned!
Rhett Holly
The Boxer - OSBI Campaign
Rhett’s artwork can’t be mistaken. He is a popular artist around the halls of One Step Beyond, everyone knows his style and connects to his cartoon-style versions, often of themselves. Rhett loves to draw his peers and staff as characters in his artwork. It is a unique experience to be able to watch him work, the speed and accuracy at which he creates is overwhelming, he is like a machine! He has an intense passion for sculpting too, his cartoon characters often show up in his ceramics, they are just as cool, but in 3D! Some of his favorite characters are Sonic the Hedgehog, Mario, Mega Man and of course people boxing. In this image, Rhett has placed himself as The Boxer, he often creates self-portraits. Sometimes he will include himself with others that he knows, whether it be an already existing character, or possibly one of his friends.
John
The Boxer - TCH Arizona Artists
Jon has a unique style and knows what he wants. He demonstrates this through his art as well. He enjoys creative expression.
Jackie
The Boxer - TCH Arizona Artists
Jackie is an artist at heart. She is soft spoken, but her art shouts creativity. She expresses her zest for life through her color choices and unique creations
David
The Boxer - TCH Arizona Artists
David demonstrates how he views the world through his art. He finds the good in everything. He likes to use unique colors to decorate his environment.
Doug
The Boxer - TCH Arizona Artists
Doug loves life and adding his unique twist on common elements. He is very welcoming and social which he demonstrates this through his use of colors.
Jessalyn
Artist
Jessalyn is a 14 year-old freshman from the Madison, Wisconsin area. She enjoys listening to music, playing sports, participating in various art activities, and hanging out with her friends and family. Jessalyn designed the skull t-shirt to help raise money for Common Threads Family Resource Center!
Brendan
Artist
For someone with so much going against him, Brendan is a kid who rarely ever complains. He is a busy boy and will go until he collapses because he just can’t stand to miss a single thing. He loves to laugh and run and play. He likes to think he is a ninja and a wrestling champion. He wants to be a police officer, a firefighter, a trash collector, and a scientist. He has a wicked sense of humor. He has a passion for all foods that are spicy and puts hot sauce on everything. He’d probably put hot sauce on ice cream if I’d let him but I can’t stand the thought. He has crazy dance moves he learned from his brothers. He wants to pretend he isn’t sick.
Maya
Artist
Sebastien
Artist
Sebastien Millon is an artist. His work is noted for its lack of vision and his art is usually muddled in a turbid stew of crockery. Many artists, art critics, and frankly most of the public views his work with great disdain and disrespects everything he is about (no one actually even knows what he is about, including the artist himself). Sebastien also has a blog
Carter
Artist
Justin
Artist
Justin is 38 years old and works at a wood shop in a supported vocational program in Tucson, Arizona. Justin loves to exercise, draw pictures, listen to music, and anything fireman related. He is close with his family (especially his uncles!) and enjoys spending time with them while rock climbing and canoeing. Justin has a dog, Koty, and two cats, Jacob Marley and Jordin Sparks. Justin has a diagnosis of Down Syndrome with Autism Spectrum Disorder but his disability certainly does not define him!!
Logan
Artist
Logan is a 25-year-old young man who is living with Hashimoto’s and developmental disabilities, including Apraxia. He enjoys riding his trike, bowling, fishing, playing basketball and helping with his many, many animals. His family likes to consider him challenged not limited, and you can find out more about him through Logan’s mom, Allyson, chronicles their lives on her Facebook page, The Crumb Diaries.
Logan’s designs are raising money for Logan’s Fund, a trust fund set up to be set aside for Logan should anything happen to his parents.
Maddie
Artist
My name is Madelyn Hubbs and my close friends call me “Maddie.” I am 14 years old and my hobbies are therapeutic horsemanship, swimming, and knitting. I live in St. Louis with my dad, mom, younger brother (Kyle) and our cat Elmo. I was born without my left arm and I received my first prosthetic arm from St. Louis Shriners Hospitals for Children before my first birthday. St. Louis Shriners Hospitals for Children have continued to provide me prosthetics, show me ways to do things with one hand, provided strengthening exercises and monitor a slight curvature in my spine. I always love going to St. Louis Shriners Hospitals for Children. One thing I remember about going to my favorite hospital when I was younger, is I would always receive a toy or stuffed animal. I decided a few years ago to collect toys and other items kids would like to have while visiting the hospital and as of this year I have donated over 1000 items. A few years ago I became an Ambassador for St. Louis ShrinersHospitals for Children. As an Ambassador I have gone to schools in our community to talk about limb differences, prosthetics, and bullying.
Nick
Artist
Nick was an incredible, inspiring young man who showed thousands of people what it was like to truly live life to the fullest. At 14, Nick was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma after complaining of pain above his knee for a few weeks. Over the next two years, Nick underwent many surgeries and battled through chemotherapy with a positive, determined attitude every step of the way. Unfortunately, the tumors were continuing to grow and in late summer of 2014, Nick and his family made the decision to stop treatment. Through the next few months, Nick crossed items off of his bucket list with fervor and spent his days with his loved ones bringing smiles to the face of all those he touched. On December 30th, 2014 Nick passed away.
Nick & Presley
Artists
Presley is 17 years old and has been a student at Beyond Autism for three years. Our resident artist, you will often find Presley drawing at her desk. She loves all things Disney and frequents Disneyland as often as she can. Presley enjoys Lady Gaga and loves to dance!
Nick is 16 years old and loves to make others happy. His favorite song, Three little birds by Bob Marley, truly captures Nick’s easy going approach to life! Nick loves skateboarding, scootering and plays baseball at Miracle League. He has been a student at Beyond Autism since its inception in 2014.
Gunner
Artist
Gunter was diagnosed at age 4 with Asperger’s Syndrome, a condition related to Autism. Although quirky, Gunter is loved by many due to his caring heart. In elementary school, Gunter helped found an anti-bullying club to help encourage his peers to embrace their differences. His love for helping others also led him to create a lemonade stand over the past summer with over half of his proceeds being set aside for charity, a concept that has been adopted by his younger brother now as well. Gunter and his brothers also love to provide meals to the homeless when possible and that is why Gunter has elected to attempt to raise money for Cloud Covered Streets. Helping another human off of the streets is Gunter’s goal for 2017.
Jaxon
Artist
Jaxon “Jax” is a 14 year old high school freshman from Muenster, a small North Texas town with German roots. Jax has many hobbies which include building Lego architecture inspired by places all around the world, playing video games on his Nintendo Switch, drawing, baking, as well as reading comic books. Jax also loves playing and spending time with his dog and buddy, Smokey. Jaxon has been raised to spread kindness and accept others for their differences. He knows that God makes everyone different and that everyone has different talents. When he grows up, Jaxon would like to use his art and design talents to become a computer animator.
Sean
Artist
This is Sean Bowler. Sean is a twenty-two-year-old young man. Sean loves his family and friends. He shows his appreciation for those that care for him every day.
Sean was born at twenty-seven weeks. As he grew, Sean was not meeting his milestones. It was clear that he would need special education services. During his younger years, we were trying to find a diagnosis for Sean in hopes of better understanding his needs, development, and challenges. At six-years-old, Sean was diagnosed with FG Syndrome. With this diagnosis, our family started to make connections with other families with the same diagnosis. Sean’s geneticist at the time was not fully convinced with the diagnosis and after some time we started another search for a diagnosis. In the spring of 2016, Sean was diagnosed with Xia-Gibbs syndrome through genetic testing. At the time of his diagnosis, Sean was the fifth person with a confirmed diagnosed through genetic testing and the twentieth person overall.
Julia
Artist
Julia is a junior at Newton North High School. Julia and her mom moved from Wisconsin to Massachusetts this summer, and Julia decorated her new bedroom with anime posters. This school year, Julia wants to learn to sew costumes so that she can dress like a character from My Hero Academia at the next Boston Comic Con. Julia still draws every day and one day she hopes to be an artist. You can find out more about Julia through Chasing Joy, her mom’s blog. (chasingjoy.net)
Julia’s design is raising money for the Sun Prairie chapter of The Penguin Project, an organization which gives young people with special needs the chance to perform in musical theater. It partners artists with disabilities with peer mentors, and together they put together a musical. Julia has been in two Penguin Project productions, School House Rock and the Wizard of Oz.
Griffin
Artist
Griffin has a passion for classical music and retro video games. He also loves playing the piano, swimming, and making art. Because of his Aspergers diagnose, he views the world in a unique and amazing way. He has difficulty with the concept of death and he loves animals, so he came up with the phrase “Pick two flowers with one hand” to replace “Kill two birds with one stone.” He hopes to one day be a video game designer and composer. There is no doubt he will accomplish anything he puts his mind to! Griffin’s mom, Missy, started a Facebook page What Will This Day Bring? that is dedicated to her blog about life with Griffin.
Tommy
Artist
Tommy is six years old and he is much like any other six year old. He loves cars, trucks, trains and planes and he loves to play outside. Although he is much like any six year old boy, he is also very different. He was born with 22q11.2DS – 22q for short. 22q is a partial deletion of the 22 chromosome and it affects every carrier differently with a wide range of symptoms.
In Tommy’s case, he was affected with a heart defect, a cleft lip & palate, a laryngeal web as well as low muscle tone and developmental delays. He has been tube fed the majority of his life and he’s slowly learning how to eat on his own. Because of his many challenges, he has a very busy schedule. He has been receiving therapies multiple times a week since birth and he has had five surgeries to date. He currently goes to developmental school every weekday. In addition, he receives 3-4 therapies a week at home after school. He is very busy, but he continues to work hard like the super hero he is.
Christopher
Artist
Christopher a polite, loving 31 year old who was born with Down Syndrome. Christopher’s gentle soul loves spending time with his family. He is very close to his parents, two beautiful sisters and his brother in laws. Christopher grew up living in the country and was raised on a dairy farm. He has a great love for horses and cows and says “ it’s in his blood.” Christopher takes pride in the act of chivalry, opening doors for men and women of all ages, pushing up chairs and insisting “you” go first, with a big smile on his face. Christopher’s greatest love’s is to dance and listens to a variety of music from Mozart to metal, country, jazz and blues. Christopher will sit for hours playing the piano and enjoys drumming with his dad who is a musician. He also enjoys drawing, painting, swimming, bowling and special Olympics. Christopher adores his girlfriend and dreams of getting married some day. He enjoys going out to eat and attending dances with her and that’s where he can be seen, moon walking and doing the splits on the dance floor. Christopher’s favorite occasion is his birthday but not only his, everyone else’s too. He keeps a calendar with friends, family and extended family’s special dates. He believes we are all so blessed to have one more year of life here on earth.
Jayce
Artist
Jayce was diagnosed with High-Functioning Autism when he was 3 years old, while his father was deployed in support of Iraqi Freedom. He recently turned 18, and though he is nervous about adulthood, he has really come into his own. He wants to go to college to get a degree in Art and Computer Animation, and work in animation. His short-term goals are to get through high school and to get his learner’s permit, and then driver’s license. He loves all animals, but especially his cats, Wheezy and Cleo. He also enjoys comic books, Yu-gi-oh, anime, and movies.
Logan
Artist
This is Logan Schultz! He is 11 years old and in 5th grade. Logan loves to play baseball, football, basketball and video games. He drew this masterpiece from the outline of his left hand print. Logan was born with complex syndactyly in which his fingers did not fully separate on his left hand. His unique difference makes him even more special. From a very young age, Logan has had the confidence, determination and joy for life to never let anything slow him down. Logan especially loves attending Hand Camp where he spends one weekend with all his friends that share hand differences too. Hand Camp has done wonders for Logan, his family and thousands of others. May we all embrace our differences, whether visible or not, and be proud of our unique selves!
Mathue
Artist
This is Mathue, a very special 5 year old boy, and he created art for his favorite Texas country musician, Koe Wetzel. Mathue loves spending time with his family, playing games, playing drums and guitar, spinning, drawing, and especially swimming. He has non-verbal Autism and uses an iPad to communicate, which allows him to show everyone he meets how very smart, curious, sweet, and funny he is.
Jackie
Artist
Jackie has been an Arizona resident since 1975 and a resident at The Centers for Habilitation (TCH) since 1997. Art has been an important part of Jackie’s world for a long time, and she has become an excellent representative of and eager participant in TCH’s Unique Boutique, a program in which she and some of her peers with developmental disabilities create artwork for sale onsite and in community markets. Jackie is known for her careful attention to detail, and for the joy she takes in her finished products!
In addition to her participation in the Unique Boutique, Jackie loves to shop, eat out, and advocate for herself and others with disabilities. Her friendly and thoughtful personality is readily evident – when she isn’t busy, she can often be found making gifts and cards for the people she loves.
