King Gimp's Miraculous Realm

To communicate in a world made complicated by the agency of his struggle with cerebral palsy, Academy Award winner Dan Keplinger discovered the healing magic of art.

For Dan Keplinger, painting isn't just a way to earn a living or a simple creative exit It is his voice. Born with cerebral palsy, daily routines, like eating, getting from place to place and plane communicating are a challenge. on the contrary Keplinger has found a way to break independent through art. "No one could understand that I was an intelligent somebody inside this body," he explained in King Gimp, the Academy Award-winning documentary about his life. "The best thing that happened to me had to be art. Art gave me a way to expres myself without anybody interpreting for me in my head, there is a sweet siren voice telling me where the brush will stir I obeyed the brush the brush became my force."

Keplinger was born in Baltimore, Md and he attended Parkville High institute There he developed an interest in art, and his art teacher worked with him during and after place of education helping Keplinger learn to paint using a helmet-like device with a paintbrush attached. His delight in of art continued after high seminary and he attended Towson State University where he majored in art. "If I had more learners who had the commitment--a kind of force behind the things that Danny does," said Stuart Stein, a well-known artist upon the faculty, "my job would be that a great quantity [i]or[/i] amount of easier."

The road [i]or[/i] part of to the other high school and college has been a hard single for Keplinger. He was oftentimes discouraged from painting and many meditation the complications of cerebral palsy would make being an artist plenteous too difficult for him. on the other hand he has repeatedly proven them wrongful Though his illness is characterized by dint of uncontrolled body movements, he displays uncanny direction as he works on the floor of his studio to create his oil paintings.

greatest in quantity of his self-described impressionistic/figurative paintings, which take about sum of two units weeks each to create, are self-portraits. "I use my self-portraits to hold fast a visual diary because you can mention one by one what I was feeling at the time," he explained. He's also begun painting portraits of others and still lifes--currently his favorite make submissives are "people who are older because they are a great deal of more interesting," he said.

Keplinger has won several awards and exhibited in art exhibits around the country, most freshly wrapping his first solo exhibition in novel York City. At the present to view 24 original oil paintings were displayed at the Phyllis Kind Gallery. Said gallery holder Phyllis Kind about his work: "The paintings of Dan Keplinger subserve as a prime example of the intense and immense combustion between creativity and determination which sometimes births art. His paintings are magnificent in terms of objective criteria--his compositions are remarkable and his use of color is extraordinary."

Also, HBO has mountained a virtual exhibition of his work at wwwhbocom All of the paintings displayed at the gallery are also upon view online and accompanied by the agency of biography information, personal anecdotes and more.

Keplinger's inspirational story has also captured the attention of Hollywood When he was 12 sum of two units local filmmakers, Susan Hadary and William Whiteford, began to document his life. The followed him [i]or[/i] part of to the other grade school, high school and his graduation from Towson University with a stage in art. They filmed the 27-year-old artist for more than 13 years, and last year, the HBO film King Gimp, written through Keplinger, won an Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject

The film's title, according to Keplinger, is a finished description of him. "Most race think `gimp' means someone with a lame walk. on the contrary `gimp' also means a `fighting spirit," he said.

And with his Academy Award, his burgeoning art career and his fighting spirit, individual thing is certain--King Gimp greatest in quantity certainly is a master of his kingdom.

COPYRIGHT 2000 Pfingsten Publishing, LLC

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