South is 20 years old and was diagnosed with autism at age 3 and he is an extraordinary artist. He started creating small clay figures at the age of 2, a few months before we knew of his autism diagnosis. South didn’t talk at the time but he “sang” or hummed tunes. One night my husband and I were trying to enjoy dinner in an Italian restaurant and he was having a meltdown. A waitress asked us if he would like some pizza dough, and as soon as the dough hit his hands, South made the “M” arch and started singing “Buh Buh Buh” from the @McDonalds jingle. He was distressed because he wanted to go to McDonald’s!
My husband and I raced to the nearest Target and bought the first of many, many, many packs of @playdoh. He worked it all the way home on the 2-hour drive, making shapes that look like our dogs, and a tiny can of a sprite. It was the first time we were able to communicate with him and understand what he wanted.
From there, South began to sculpt and create figures of characters like the Veggie tales, cartoons he watched at record speed with amazing accuracy. No one can quite understand his accuracy when he is able to mix the colors, his detail, and the fact that he does not look at his hands at all, only at a photo. He is precise down to the teeth and eyes. His only tools are his hands and fingernails. He has a particular love for Jim Henson, Pixar, and Disney and can riddle off facts, birthdays, dates that each character originated.
South has many many friends that he fist bumps or high fives. He makes 50-60 sculptures at Christmas for any kid who’s ever been kind to him and I deliver them to mailboxes. I’ve always told the parents, that receiving one means their child has done something special to make South feel included, accepted, and loved. He is thoughtful and makes sculptures for kids who are ill, have lost someone, teachers who are retiring, his sculptures are well known throughout our town, he donates them to silent auctions and they are always the highest bid. His dream is simply to live here with us and make sculptures that make people happy.” – South’s Mom, @southssculptures
