Cowboy Love on Canvas

Mama's Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys ...

Thankfully, resident Kenny's mama didn't take these song lyrics seriously.

Known as the mayor of Mountain Shadows, Kenny can normally be found, proudly clad in a cowboy hat and boots.  And while he may not 'drive them ol' trucks' due to his wheelchair, he loves to paint them!

In fact, almost any blank canvas spurs him to paint them ol' trucks - always red trucks!

"He asks the staff to paint a truck, then he paints his red truck," says Flor Angel, Program Director, Mountain Shadows Outreach Services.  "I think he's painted about 20 red trucks so far.  For Halloween, he painted a red truck on his pumpkin.

"Kenny also loves the Biggs Harley-Davidson Poker Ride.  He asks the riders, 'Can you be really super loud?'  Then they rev their engines, and he gets so excited!

"It's so nice to see that.  We should all be like that really - so super excited about everything."

We must admit, we are super excited to show you Kenny's most recent painting for this greeting card.  His cowboy heart created love on canvas - with no ol' trucks in sight.

Capturing Hearts through Art - Despite Cerebral Palsy

Ricardo has cerebral palsy, so it's a little bit difficult for him to control his movements.  Even so, he created the beautiful artwork for this greeting card all by himself.  He needed the staff's help only to clean the paint brushes.

Ricardo is relatively new to Mountain Shadows, having moved into Pine house last March.  And he's had no issues moving quickly to make himself at home!  He's been dating his new girlfriend, Mountain Shadows resident, Lupita, for six months.

Perhaps his new love, Lupita, is the inspiration for his stunning art.  He has captured her heart - and ours as well.

It's Love Her Way - or the Highway

Johanna is a fiercely independent young woman. "If we tell her what to do, she will do something completely different - and that's great!" says Flor. Her artwork comes from her heart.

"When I asked her about her painting for this card, I said, 'There's a little blank piece on top. Do you want to finish it? Do you want to cover the whole space?'

And she said, "No. No. That's it. I'm done.

An independent woman who knows what she wants, Johanna is proud to share her artwork with our Mountain Shadows family - and may it remind us all that, while love can be an ever unfinished, ever evolving creation - it's always perfect when it comes from the heart.

Linking Hearts Across Borders

"Ronald created his artwork with very little assistance from the staff, " says Flor. "They just held the canvas for him, and he did the rest."

Ronald is from Mexico and loves Norteña music, the music of Northern Mexico.

"Ronald also loves to push the snack cart," adds Flor. "The snack cart is very important to our participants."

We are excited to share Ronald's work - linking hearts across borders through art.

Through a Blind Artist We See the Heart - and it Sings, "Tamales!"

Joel has Down syndrome and cannot see very well. He speaks a few words in Spanish, but cannot really carry on a conversation. Through his art, his heart speaks, conveying messages his words cannot.

In addition to his art, Joel loves helping out in the Mountain Shadows Outreach Services kitchen. After helping prepare the snack of the day, he enjoys pushing the snack cart, delivering treats to his friends.

Whatever the snack of the day, from pudding to cupcakes, Joel laughs and jokes with everyone, often singing out, "Tamales! Tamales!" as he pushes the cart.

In Mexican culture, tamales are a joyful and meaningful tradition shared across generations. Preparing tamales brings an entire family together in a loving effort that is part art, part hard work.

Perhaps in the same way, Joel's art can help us see from the heart, bringing our entire Mountain Shadows family even closer together.