Jack launches jumper collection at Delta café

NON-verbal artist Jack Kelly launched a collection of two jumpers designed with his paintings on Friday 28 November, in Café Thyme at the Delta Centre.

His mother, Carol Kelly from Bagenalstown, is “so proud” of her 23-year-old son. “Jack has struggled so much being non-verbal. He’s an amazing chap and a very talented artist.” They have been planning this project with Dyeboo, a company which collaborates on organic homeware products with autistic artists, for two years.

Jack was diagnosed with autism at the age of three. “The world opened up for him” when he began using a letterboard, the Rapid Prompting Method (RPM), to communicate and write his poetry, explained Carol. He has been attending the Delta Centre for 4 or 5 years now and loves “being with the lads”, said his mother.

He’s a “very happy chap” and is “very understanding of people”, she said.

He picked up painting when he was around 16 years old. Carol played a painting tutorial for him and was amazed to see her son being able to recreate the face exactly. “He loves the detail, he’s very patient”, she said.

To make the jumpers, the team chose photographs that would look well on a jumper and then created paint-by-numbers versions that Jack could work on. It took him several months of painting with a magnifying glass to complete the hyper-detailed paintings.

Jack is the first artist from the Delta Centre to work with Dyeboo. “He’s very excited”, said his mother.

The artists are paid a commission for their work based on how much the design is reproduced. Jack is planning to donate some of his earnings to the Carlow Special Olympics club, where he swims and bowls.

In addition to painting and sport, Jack writes poetry of “all sorts”. “He writes from the perspective of being a non-verbal person. He sees life from a very different angle. He listens to everything, he keeps us on our toes”, said Ms Kelly.

The organic cotton jumpers are available from the Dyeboo website, released just in time for Christmas.