ARTS | Colors from another world

American painter Stephen Bennett can find and stimulate talent in any group of people. Hosting a painting workshop for the Macau Association of Parents of the Mentally Handicapped last Friday, the artist stated that painting helps to greater develop their potential.
Organized together with Sands China Community Academy, the workshop hosted about 15 mentally handicapped people, who put their painting skills to the test.
For Stephen Bennett, working with mentally handicapped people is a rewarding task. “My brother was a handicapped person, and I grew up around handicapped kids and I was very comfortable with them. So I find it wonderful to be around them now because they remind me of my brother,” he told reporters.
First helping participants in drawing each other’s faces or even their own, Stephen Bennett went on to help them paint as well.
The artist finds it easy to unveil their artistic skills. “They are using colors from another world, not the conscious world, and that’s beautiful to watch,” he commented.
Stephen Bennett listed one of the mentally handicapped girls as an example: “This girl is an extraordinary painter; she controls the paint so beautifully. It’s very rare, she has a skill.”
The American portrait painter says he is often shocked at what they can do. “Yes [they can make art]. I learned how to paint my paintings from children. I use the ideas I receive from children and I believe, of course, that in each of them there is an artist,” he stated.
In his opinion, a painting workshop can stimulate both their brains and hearts. “When they play with color, they are stimulating their brain. And the joy from that releases endorphin giving them pleasure. The same as if you would when you exercise, do sports or dance.”
Believing such an experience can make them grow, Stephen Bennett stressed that we might have a strange perception of mentally handicapped people. He suggested we “have to push them to have greater potential. And they will be able to express themselves.”
Furthermore, he said they need to have contact with new people that can accept them for who they are.
Nicole Che Hoi Ian, supervisor at the Macau Association of Parents of the Mentally Handicapped, also known as Centro “A Madrugada,” stressed that it is quite hard to get someone who is really good at painting to take time to teach mentally handicapped people. “So I am very happy to have Stephen Bennett teaching them how to paint,” she expressed.
She added that it is important for gaming operators like Sands China to be involved and give something back to the community.
“I think participants benefited from the activity, because it not only improved their painting skills, but it was also about having fun, and about the process of learning,” she concluded.
The Venetian Macau hosted Bennett’s first exhibition in China up until August 3. Titled “Faces of Light Art exhibition,” the display was intended to celebrate human diversity around the world. It presented a total of 38 portraits of people from different cultures across the globe.
Stephen Bennett has travelled to more than 30 countries over the last two decades. He has embarked on a journey to find indigenous people, capturing their faces and ritual adornments in large-scale paintings.
According to a press release, Sands China Community Academy, which organized the event, has launched over 40 community activities since 2007, targeting a total of 1,900 locals.