INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED "MOUTH PAINTER" TO TEACH ART CLASSES TO ALVARADO HOSPITAL REHABILITATION PATIENTS
August 25, 2011 (San Diego) – Robert Thome, an internationally acclaimed mouth painter, will be teaching Alvarado Hospital rehabilitation patients/former patients how to use art as a therapeutic tool on Friday, Aug. 26, 12:30-2:30 p.m.
Thome, who was born in 1954, became a quadriplegic in his teens following an injury sustained while playing football. Always interested in art, he turned to mouth painting as a form of therapy and self-expression. He has a particular passion for encouraging rehabilitation patients to turn to art because many disabled people become isolated, and creating artwork provides a social outlet.
Thome’s art career spans more than 35 years, more than 1,000 pieces of art and his work has been exhibited around the world, including exhibits and prominent galleries in the U.S., Sydney, China, New Zealand, Italy, Portugal and England. He is a lifetime member of the Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists. He also has been inducted into the California Governor’s Hall of Fame.
On Friday, Thome will guide the Alvarado Hospital rehabilitation class in a step-by-step group art project on canvas. No prior art experience is required of the participants, only a willingness to get caught up in a creative experience.
The completed work of art will be exhibited at the “Rehab Every Body Matters” display in the fall at Alvarado Hospital as part of National Rehabilitation Awareness campaign.