At Gallery, Artworks Transcend Disabilities

An automobile accident left Said N. Abdelsayed in a wheelchair, without any feeling in his legs.

But it also opened up a world of painting to Abdelsayed, one of three artists whose works are on display in Very Special Arts California’s first gallery showing.

The gallery opened Sept. 6 in the MainPlace/Santa Ana mall in the former Wherehouse Records location.

Very Special Arts California chose Orange County as the location of its first gallery because the organization enjoys broad community support here and is also home to several board members, said board President Troy Botello.

MainPlace also gave the nonprofit organization a break on the rent, and the organization hopes to benefit from Santa Ana’s effort to become an arts center.

Botello expressed the hope that the gallery will be recognized for its art, not the physical handicaps of the artists. “They are, and should be, recognized as artists who have a disability,” he said.

The works on display at the gallery’s premier show include collages by Palm Desert artist William Coppola and intricate, colorful pencil drawings by Berkeley artist Kathleen Flannigan.

Tustin resident Abdelsayed has 11 paintings of nature scenes ranging from sailboats to rolling green meadows.

Abdelsayed was inspired to paint nature because the sandy beaches and bouncing dirt trails, while beautiful, also were difficult for him to access.

“The challenge makes the marriage,” he said.

Abdelsayed had planned on becoming a doctor before his car crash, but the therapeutic effect of working with paints and brushes has helped lead him to become a professional artist.

“It’s just like a doctor,” he said, “except I’m using different tools.”