I was born to my mother 4 months premature and I weighted 1 pound. They decided that it was a good idea to put me in to an incubator and they left me in there so long I became legally blind because of too much carbon dioxide. My grandmother told my mother that I was dead and then made the hospital give me to foster care. Ever since I was born I had been living in foster homes. I was abused in many ways that will taunt me for the rest of my life. When I was around 15 I never knew that I worked on a farm right next to my fathers’ organization. When I turned 16 my social worker gave me my grandfathers’ name, and it all went on ever since. So basically I found my family when I was 16. I started my art when I was a little kid to get away from all of the abuse, and every one told me that I would never make it in the art world. Because of my prematurely I was unable to have children, but I proved every doctor wrong. I have 2 beautiful daughters, One of them is almost 21 and the other is almost 14. Ten years ago I started my work up again, and it began to go around the world. I came up with the technique that you can actually can feel on canvas. I have had 3 near death experiences, the first of them was when I was born, the second was when I had my first child and the last one was when I had my second child Patricia. I have gone through lots of things like having cancer and surviving the west Nile. My life has been an obstacle for me and I have jumped every hurdle. All I want to do is show people who do not accept disabled people that we can do things that regular people can do, and I want to give blind people the chance to feel what is on canvas. - Sylvia
My Technique:
I created the art form called LaBel technique. It is a 3-D form for the blind, Like brail in the form of paintings. I currently have it patented, and I have been told I'm the only artist to use this form.
I was born to my mother 4 months premature and I weighted 1 pound. They decided that it was a good idea to put me in to an incubator and they left me in there so long I became legally blind because of too much carbon dioxide. My grandmother told my mother that I was dead and then made the hospital give me to foster care. Ever since I was born I had been living in foster homes. I was abused in many ways that will taunt me for the rest of my life. When I was around 15 I never knew that I worked on a farm right next to my fathers’ organization. When I turned 16 my social worker gave me my grandfathers’ name, and it all went on ever since. So basically I found my family when I was 16. I started my art when I was a little kid to get away from all of the abuse, and every one told me that I would never make it in the art world. Because of my prematurely I was unable to have children, but I proved every doctor wrong. I have 2 beautiful daughters, One of them is almost 21 and the other is almost 14. Ten years ago I started my work up again, and it began to go around the world. I came up with the technique that you can actually can feel on canvas. I have had 3 near death experiences, the first of them was when I was born, the second was when I had my first child and the last one was when I had my second child Patricia. I have gone through lots of things like having cancer and surviving the west Nile. My life has been an obstacle for me and I have jumped every hurdle. All I want to do is show people who do not accept disabled people that we can do things that regular people can do, and I want to give blind people the chance to feel what is on canvas. - Sylvia