Clare Vogel-Weil

Clare uses her hands, elbows, fingernails, and sometimes mouth when she completes her paintings on canvas with acrylic paint.

The Way

The Way: The title of this painting is contingent upon an experience that Clare had at a Saturday vigil, where she sang it out; illustrated by the white streak toward the edge. The painting also reflects Clare's fear, sadness, and fascination with nighttime. The dotty colors at the top left reflect the stars that she can just barely see when she pulls the curtain open---multi-colored because one can't say for sure if stars are merely a glimmering of white light. The white streak and movement in the painting which travels upward perhaps symbolizes the desire to escape something.
The Way: The title of this painting is contingent upon an experience that Clare had at a Saturday vigil, where she sang it out; illustrated by the white streak toward the edge. The painting also reflects Clare’s fear, sadness, and fascination with nighttime. The dotty colors at the top left reflect the stars that she can just barely see when she pulls the curtain open–multi-colored because one can’t say for sure if stars are merely a glimmering of white light. The white streak and movement in the painting which travels upward perhaps symbolizes the desire to escape something.

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And I Have Found Rain

And I Found Rain: The title of this painting reflects Clare's fear, love, and excitement when there is thunder and rain. When there is an oncoming storm illustrated by the indigo cloudiness which fills most of the painting, Clare's mood will turn to somber which she believes to be represented by that color. The title also derives from something Clare yelled out once while she was overwhelmed---she covered her ears and yelled "Clare in the rain; autistic brain..." She often carries a book by Temple Grandin around the house entitled The Autistic Brain---the painting and the fingernail marks that are visible in the indigo could perhaps represent her feelings of being unable to escape her own brain, thus in the midst of a rainstorm---quite common to some of the testimonies which Autistic individuals have shared in communities.
And I Found Rain: The title of this painting reflects Clare’s fear, love, and excitement when there is thunder and rain. When there is an oncoming storm illustrated by the indigo cloudiness which fills most of the painting, Clare’s mood will turn to somber which she believes to be represented by that color. The title also derives from something Clare yelled out once while she was overwhelmed—she covered her ears and yelled “Clare in the rain; autistic brain…” She often carries a book by Temple Grandin around the house entitled The Autistic Brain—the painting and the fingernail marks that are visible in the indigo could perhaps represent her feelings of being unable to escape her own brain, thus in the midst of a rainstorm–quite common to some of the testimonies which Autistic individuals have shared in communities.

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About the Artist

Clare Vogel-Weil was diagnosed with autism at the age of two-and-a-half, and is now eight years old. Her expressive language primarily takes the form of singing and poetic lines when she is speaking freely, though otherwise she keeps her own counsel. Most of her means of expression are conveyed through her art, piano/singing, and rhyme. She is a student at Broome-Tioga BOCES in Binghamton, NY and was the recipient of 2nd prize for 1st grade in the WSKG story contest for her story entitled “The Appearance” (June, 2019). She lives with her mother, Emily, and her father, Joe (both of whom are writers, poets, and musicians), and her younger brother Gabriel.