Michael Levell is legally and congenitally blind, deaf, and non-verbal autistic. Enamored with Architectural Digest, his obsessive drawings and paintings of architectural interiors are marked by unusual aerial vantage points. Such subject matter and idiosyncratic mark making are typical of autistic artists. Levell’s work is unique, however, because his color schemes are original and his perspective is accurate and to scale, in spite of having to work with his face flush against the picture plane due to severely limited vision. His work was featured in the traveling exhibit Barrier Free Art Summit at post offices in Okinawa, Fukuka, and Miyazaki, Japan. Other prestigious shows include the Outsider Art Fair, New York City (1996), 'Created In California' at the Berenberg Gallery, Boston (2001), and Insights, San Francisco (2002, 2003). Levell works in the studios that he helped found at First Street Gallery Art Center, a program for adults with developmental disabilities in Claremont, CA. Supported by the Tierra del Sol Foundation, this non-profit organization has been operating for more than a decade. The clients participate in recreational programs, such as art gallery and museum tours, and direct study with professional artists. First Street Gallery Art Center is modeled after the Creative Growth Center in Oakland, CA.
Michael Levell can be contacted via e-mail c/o: marc_landes@tierradelsol.org
