April 2023 Featured Artist
Canadian Painter Shares Her Love of the Environment
and her Journey as an Artist with Autism
An Interview with
April Dawn Griffin
April Dawn Poses with a Piece from her "Synergy" Series
Photo Courtesy: April Dawn Griffin |
April Dawn Griffin started painting at age eight, and her passion for this medium blossomed for decades. Her small art studio is located in Arborfield, a town in Saskatchewan, Canada, where her father grew up. April’s mother is from Newfoundland.
April is an autistic artist with deteriorating eyesight. However, she shares, “It weirdly doesn’t stop me from painting.” April paints from both her imagination and real life. April’s art has always been experimental, and she changes styles frequently. Once she masters a technique, she moves on to something new, enjoying the ever-changing aspects of perpetual experimentation. Her metal work speaks to synergy in the forest. She used her paintings on metal – particularly her work on large saw blades – to draw attention to potential clear-cut logging. Her advocacy as both an artist and spokesperson has helped to make some changes in Saskatchewan, Canada. April’s work was disrupted when she was hit hard by a long-term case of Bell’s Palsy and chronic fatigue two days after her COVID-19 vaccination. Although her productivity declined, she is now back in school majoring in psychology and anthropology. She has also started a mushroom farm. April appeared in the film CONNECTED: A Film About Autistic People, which provides a heartwarming look into the lives of individuals on the autism spectrum as they gather for the International Naturally Autistic People Awards in Edinburgh, Scotland. |
April is on the board of “For the Love of Matthew,” which helps to provide supports for Matthew Brandon, an indigenous, non-verbal, 26-six-year-old with autism, cerebral palsy, and fetal alcohol syndrome. Matty needs round-the-clock care, and April offers insights about Matty’s autistic needs.
April’s next art show will be alongside Stephen Wiltshire at the Children's National Hospital in Washington D.C. The exhibition dates are to be determined.
April’s next art show will be alongside Stephen Wiltshire at the Children's National Hospital in Washington D.C. The exhibition dates are to be determined.
Myrna Beth Haskell, executive editor, asked April about her Synergy series, her community and environmental advocacy, and the challenges she has faced throughout her artistic journey.
What prompted you to paint on metal?
A friend wanted to commission a metal art piece, so I learned it for them. I do the metal art with an angle grinder and automotive paint.
What prompted you to paint on metal?
A friend wanted to commission a metal art piece, so I learned it for them. I do the metal art with an angle grinder and automotive paint.
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Synergy Series
Automotive Paint and Metal
© April Dawn Griffin
Automotive Paint and Metal
© April Dawn Griffin
Please describe your synergy series. What was the inspiration for this series?
At the time I was involved in a focus group with our provincial government to discuss community opposition to a clear-cut at the Torch River Forest. One problem is that replants were not doing that well on research sites. One of the reasons replant efforts were not doing well is because cuts were too wide. The trees need mushrooms and mushrooms need the trees, and this synergy is what I was discussing at the time through my metal art.
At the time I was involved in a focus group with our provincial government to discuss community opposition to a clear-cut at the Torch River Forest. One problem is that replants were not doing that well on research sites. One of the reasons replant efforts were not doing well is because cuts were too wide. The trees need mushrooms and mushrooms need the trees, and this synergy is what I was discussing at the time through my metal art.
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Our work helped to change the industry’s approach. The new designs leave more bluffs up and are not as wide, so the mycelium [a network of fungal threads or hyphae] can grow back faster and provide nutrients to the saplings. The previous approach left only 3% percent of bluffs – now 18% is left up on a clear-cut.
Everything in the forest is connected and depends on the health of everything else. Humans are part of nature, too, but sometimes we seem to forget it. |
April Loves to Connect with Nature:
“I have a very large garden. I do a lot of canning. I forage in the forests as well. I fish from the river and Tobin Lake. I live like my grandparents lived.” ~ April Dawn Griffin |
Close-up of Saw Blade
Automotive Paint and Metal © April Dawn Griffin |
Close-up of Saw Blades
Automotive Paint and Metal © April Dawn Griffin |
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What are some of the challenges of painting on metal? I see that you use a respirator mask. The big thing is to get comfortable using power tools. I am autistic, so I had to overcome my aversion to loud power tools. The respirator is important because it keeps me from breathing in metal shavings from the grinder and cuts down how much spray paint I breathe in. You mentioned deteriorating eyesight and that it hasn’t hampered your work. Could you explain this just a bit more? I use my phone camera to see the whole canvas in the sweet spot I can see. [Due to a deteriorating condition with my retinas], it looks like I’m seeing the world through a spider web. I have painted for 40 years, so with all of that practice, it hasn’t slowed me down. |
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Do you feel that the arts are an important way for people on the spectrum to express themselves? I think art is good for all kinds of people of all ages. I intend to age creatively. For me, the arts allow me to socialize. The arts provide an accepting and comfortable scene. Art spaces tend to be more open to eccentric people compared to other [environments]. What is a personal challenge you have as a woman on the spectrum? Socializing can still be painful. I make social faux pas all the time. This means I have to be good at coping with rejection, shunning and ostracism. Social awkwardness is not something humans forgive easily. I tend to be a hermit when I am not out with my art. |
April Painting in the Outdoors
Photo Courtesy: April Dawn Griffin |
Synergy Series
Automotive Paint and Metal © April Dawn Griffin |
Synergy Series: River
Automotive Paint and Metal © April Dawn Griffin |
Are there any artists you particularly admire (past or present)?
My favorite artists are Angela Weddle, Steven Coventry, Neale Stratford, Stephy Tihanyi and Frank Allen, who are also neurodiverse. All of them are exceptional artists.
Where do you find sanctuary?
My sanctuaries are in the forest, garden, and my art studio. I have a deep connection to nature and that is my sanctuary.
My favorite artists are Angela Weddle, Steven Coventry, Neale Stratford, Stephy Tihanyi and Frank Allen, who are also neurodiverse. All of them are exceptional artists.
Where do you find sanctuary?
My sanctuaries are in the forest, garden, and my art studio. I have a deep connection to nature and that is my sanctuary.
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UPCOMING EXHIBITION:
Children's National Hospital Show with Stephen Wiltshire Washington D.C. Dates: TBD |
