Autistic teen master of art

By Mary Hopkin
Herald Valley bureau

PROSSER -- Jeremy Tonks was about 4 when he first saw a video of the Nutcracker ballet.

The autistic child was so taken by the film he wanted his parents to draw a particular scene -- a mouse in the center of the stage as the camera panned past.

When Steve and Leonora Tonks couldn't fill their son's request to his satisfaction, they handed him the crayon and said, "Draw it yourself."

"He did ... and it was perfect," said Leonora.

That was the first sign that their son, Jeremy, whose first word was a scream, had a gift. It's been apparent ever since.

Thirteen years later, Jeremy's first gallery showing opened Saturday at Hangups Gallery in Prosser.

Jeremy, now 17, was diagnosed with autism, a neurological disorder that affects social and communication skills. His mother said that even as a baby he rejected normal touching.

"He would push away from me when I tried to hold him," she said. "We would always have to hold him facing away from us."

Jeremy, a tall, beefy young man, is a low-functioning autistic, Leonora said. The Prosser woman also is president of the Autism Society of Washington.

He doesn't socialize well, she said, and conversations are rare, but he will answer simple yes and no questions.

But inside Jeremy's mind are the pictures and stories that magically appear when he picks up a marker, his wood-burning tool or the colorful gel pens he likes so well. His fondness for movies is apparent in much of his art.

The Tonks proudly display drawings and wood burns inspired by Disney characters Lilo and Stitch, the Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and, of course, Harry Potter.

This time of year, Jeremy spends hours in the large shop behind the Tonks' home making Christmas tree ornaments.

Steve cuts the wooden disks and Jeremy then goes to work. Sometimes he draws on the ornaments before he burns them, other times he just works freehand with the hot tool.

After Jeremy burns in the design, he colors the ornaments with oil pastel pencils.

There are reindeer and Santas, teddy bears and toy soldiers. He never seems to run out of ideas.

"It's amazing how fast he works," said Steve, who coats the finished pieces with a protective clear finish.

So fast, in fact, his parents have had to scramble to keep him in art supplies. "We buy paper by the case," Leonora said. "And markers, crayons, pencils. I had to finally put him on a budget."

Many of Jeremy's Christmas ornaments will be on display and for sale through Monday at Hangups Gallery, 719 Sixth St., in Prosser. Large wood hangings, drawings and even computer art he's made also will be available.

One of the most interesting pieces is a mosaic done in construction paper. Jeremy's art teacher, Sandy Graf, had assigned her students to do a mosaic, telling them to use 1-inch squares. Jeremy insisted on using 18-inch squares instead, creating a procession of wizards.

"I watched him use a toothpick and glue to place each piece," Leonora said.

She said the autism may help Jeremy with his art by keeping him focused on the tangible, a frequent characteristic of the disorder.

"English, math -- mean nothing," she said. "They must be able to see and feel."

She also said it's not unusual to find special abilities in autistic people. "Many, like Jeremy, are artistic. Others have perfect pitch."

Leonora said researchers suspect autism is linked to the same genes that make people each a distinct individual.

"We all have genes that make us different, autistic people just demand it," she said.