A recent interview with A.ware Foundation in Canada gave Rainbow and her mom the opportunity to share insight.
What influences and inspire the art of Rainbow Mosho? A great question with revealing answers that shed light on the emotions and pain experienced by a 12 year old with autism.
Let’s not forget, Rainbow can now fully verbalize what she feels and experiences. This was not the case between the ages of 3 and 8 years old.
Thomais: When I feel super sad, sometimes I make a piece of art that I use to express my emotions. I remember one time I made a piece of art of me being held onto the chains of hate. One time in summer school, when I was misbehaving and didn’t understand [what was going on], my teachers locked me inside a bathroom… Another time, my teacher didn’t take me on a field trip. My mom didn’t understand why I was crying until she asked the teacher. They were like “oh we’re sorry we forgot.” My mom immediately decided to take me out of that summer school. She was furious.
Yadira: So many of these realities that she has been exposed to is reflected in her art. (…) When you made some of the drawings that expressed all those experiences, showing your creativity and ideas, what do you feel Thomais?
Thomais: I feel happy, mad, calm, or sad.
Yadira: And why do you use all of these different colors, why is that important?
Thomais: Because, orange means silly. Yellow means happiness. Green means fear. Turquoise means calm and light blue means glad. Dark blue means sadness. Purple means courage. Pink means love and pinkish-red means peace.
Yadira: Every color has an emotion or meaning attached to it. (…) As a family, we are dealing with PTSD and this is the role art has played to express all of this pent up fear, anger and emotion. Now that she can speak and she knows she has her art as this powerful tool, that allows her to share what she’s feeling.
Thomais: Sometimes I feel like I’m burning in silence.
Yadira: That’s why she voices what she feels in art. She wrote another quick short story and we are in the process of having her edit it and clean it up. And it has to do with the emotions of what she observes and what is her role in these situations.
- Art created on an #iPad – using her index finger!
