Adam Delli-Bovi {Acrylic on Canvas Paper}
About Adam Delli-Bovi
Adam Arnsten Delli-Bovi was born on June 5, 1981. He has down syndrome. When an individual is born with down syndrome there are a lot of unknowns. Ultimately it is a question of discovering how this individual can reach his full potential. An individual’s potential is dependent on what he wants to do, what motivates and interests him. Because Adam has significant intellectual disabilities he needs a certain amount of support to participate in those activities in which he expresses an interest.
In October of 2011 when Adam was 30 years old he stated that he wanted to paint. He was provided with paper and paint, paint brushes and a jar of water. Acrylic paint was chosen because it is fast drying paint that can be diluted with water, but it becomes water-resistant when dry preventing the colors from becoming dulled or diluted. Depending on how much the paint is diluted a finished acrylic painting can resemble a watercolor or an oil painting, or have its own unique characteristics.
Adam was coached to observe the colors and shapes that he saw while out walking each day. His painting efforts quickly evolved. Although Adam does not paint completely independently no hand-over-hand assistance is provided and the paintings that he produces are his own vision and reflect his unique way of seeing the world and expressing what he sees.
Assistance during the painting process consists of reminding him to use water to help the paint move around and squeezing out the paint onto his pallet and mixing colors according to his instructions. Sometimes he needs to recognize that a painting in progress needs to dry before he can continue working on it.
As Adam has continued to paint and develop his observation skills he has also become more enthusiastic about drawing and paying closer attention to the way things actually look.