Contributed by Hayley Barrett
Logan Nyman, 17, is an artist. His spare, linear drawing of a horse and his striking skull-and-crossbones motif adorn merchandise of Paper Clouds Apparel, a company founded both to showcase the artwork of people with special needs and to raise funds for the organizations that support them. Paper Clouds Apparel, which also employs adults with special needs, donates 50% of profits back to the organizations that supply the original art.
Thanks to Logan and his family, as well as co-artist Bug, also known as Connor, Windrush Farm’s recent Paper Clouds fundraiser was a tremendous success, garnering an amazing $2,400 for the farm. These much-needed funds will provide for the horses Logan loves and strengthen the programs that benefit the entire Windrush community.
Logan began riding at Windrush when he was 9 and developed an immediate connection with the horses. Due to a verbal apraxia, his ability to communicate via the spoken word is challenged. Horses, however, are most sensitive to nonverbal communication, which suits Logan’s needs. His mother, Allyson, explains, “With horses, they just love you. You don’t have to talk to them, and they will always accept you and be your friend.”
Allyson remembers how her son’s love of horses became the catalyst for his interest in art. “My daughter and I love art, but Logan would never participate. I couldn’t even get him to color. One day, a few years ago, I found a drawing of a horse on white lined paper under his pillow. I’ll admit it—I sat down on the bed and cried over that drawing. It was a big deal.”
Since that first drawing, Logan has continued to generate images in his signature graphic style. Paper Clouds will once again reproduce some of them on t-shirts and other items in October and December.
Check out Paper Clouds Apparel (http://www.papercloudsapparel.com/) or follow Allyson’s blog (http://thecrumbdiaries-curveballs.blogspot.com/) to learn more about Logan and the Paper Clouds Apparel project.