Autistic teen’s arts gains wider exposure

In some ways 14-year-old Loon Lake, Wash., resident David McBee, is a typical teen.

He enjoys the outdoors and likes to talk about the summer he caught 18 turtles.

He loves Mississippi Mud ice cream, his eyes sparkling as he recalls the big chunks of brownies that laden his favorite desert.

But two things set McBee apart from many other teens. He’s a gifted artist, and he is autistic.

In the year since his story was first told in The Spokesman Review, McBee’s artistic abilities have continued to flourish. Last month he was the featured artist at the Crawford Gallery in Deer Park.

“He was so excited about his first show,” said his mother, Deanna McBee. “I never dreamed his art would get to the place it’s at now.”

David is home-schooled, but once a week he takes art lessons from Sue Christie, a volunteer at Loon Lake Elementary School. Christie, who has known David since he was in kindergarten, said, “David collects pictures in his head. Each one of his paintings has a story.”

At first it’s difficult to understand McBee’s speech pattern. He speaks very softly and rapidly, and like many autistic kids, he has difficulty maintaining eye contact.

But that changes when he talks about his work. His grin was lightning quick and his eyes flashed as he related the stories behind some of his recent paintings.

He pointed to a work titled “Winter Cabin on the Lake” and said, “See you can imagine a path across the lake.” The snow reflects the blue tones from the lake.

“I like to use just two colors,” he said as he shook his head. “Too many colors end up just mush.

“You can see more in my paintings with just two colors.”

McBee is unable to read or write, but he’s very visual and absorbs images from books or television.

One night he saw a documentary about penguins. The next day he painted “Land of the Penguins.”

The canvas is filled with tiny penguins perched on icebergs, floating in an aqua sea.

His work reveals a sly sense of humor. He recently sold “Dolphins Playing Poker” to a friend of his mom’s.

The friend loved hearing McBee tell the story in the painting.

“These dolphins are playing poker on the bottom of the ocean floor,” he said. “They were betting with shrimp.”

One dolphin sheds copious tears.

“He’s losing,” McBee said.

Another painting, “Fourth of July on Loon Lake,” won first prize at a fair this year in Valley, Wash. Tiny bonfires dot the shoreline as fireworks burst overhead.

A lone figure at the end of a dock roasts something over a campfire. When asked what the man is cooking, David replied with clarity, “A corn dog.”

Deanna McBee, a divorced mom, is raising David and his two brothers on a limited income. She is unable to buy him good quality art supplies.

Sue Christie said, “I would love to see what he could do with the proper equipment. He’s already exceeding my abilities.”

David will be sending two of his paintings to California for the annual FEAT (Families for Early Autism Treatment) auction this spring.

His mother said, “A lot of people shrug off those with disabilities and dismiss what they can do.”

She looked proudly at her son surrounded by his work and said, “Art is David’s home run.”