DOWNEY - The perception of ability is challenged in the upcoming Art On The Vine exhibit which will display the vivid and inspiring work of Robert Thome and Michael Temple at Mari's Wine Bar.Opening night is this Saturday, June 2, at 7 p.m., with live music by Temple and renowned blues musician James Harman. Robert Thome confronts his endurance and strength as a painter every time he sits in front of a canvas. With a paintbrush in his mouth, layering the lines of each piece, he moves beyond his limitations. After enduring a spinal cord injury in 1969 and finding his way as a painter in the late 1970s, he has become a recognized artist worldwide as part of the International Mouth and Foot Painting Association. Michael Temple, better known as Mike Tempo in art and music circles, is a painter and professional percussionist as bandleader with the Los Angeles worldbeat band, The Bonedaddys. His art is a jazz song come to life, with movement-like quality popping with colorful patterns. Thome teaches painting and drawing to others with spinal cord injuries at Rancho Los Amigos, serving as a role model for new generations of mouth painters and others who can find freedom in art. With Temple's credential in Moderate to Severe Disabilities, he works with autistic children and is a facilitator of a program that teaches language, math, and occupational and social skills using drumming to differently-abled individuals. Art On The Vine is an art exhibit and monthly reception hosted by the Downey Arts Coalition, a group pioneering the local arts movement by making Downey a new destination for arts and culture. Providing local art for a local audience is an emerging trend in Downey, and it will take artists of all kind to keep the movement growing. If you are interested in having your art exhibited or playing your music at an opening, contact artist.submission@downeyarts.org

********** Published: May 31, 2012 - Volume 11 - Issue 07