Athenry student makes wheelchair waves to create unique artwork
A young Athenry student has been making waves after his artistic endeavours endeared him to the nation.
Joshua Whelan, a First Year pupil at Clarin College in Athenry, has cerebral palsy – and a passion for art, which was revealed when he joined Serena Joyce's art class a few months ago.
And he has now produced his first large artwork – an abstract interpretation of the Athenry town map, which he produced by using the wheels of his wheelchair to apply the paint.
It was testimony to Serena’s determination to find a way for him to make his mark – and she found inspiration from other wheelchair artists, like American artist Tom Hollenstein.
Serena enlisted the help of Martin O’Connell, Joshua's special needs assistant, to produce the painting which now hangs proudly in Clarin College for all to see.
Martin steers the chair, but at Joshua’s direction as he tells Martin how he wants the wheelchair to move across the canvas.
When the painted was posted on social media, it drew a huge reaction and led to Joshua featuring on RTÉ News last week.
And Joshua's mother Ingrid was understandably proud of her son.
“He’s amazing. It's a credit to the school and Serena and Martin, and the support he’s had to help realise his skills and abilities,” she said.