 Abel Denonair's major sponsorship was given by Washington County Mental Health Services, where hope and support come together, and Champlain Community Services of Vermont. Welcome to this edition of Abel Denonair, the one and only program that focuses on our needs, concerns, and achievements of the definitely Abel. I've always been your host, Lauren Seiler. Our lean is up today. We would like to thank Washington County Mental Health Champlain Community Services for funding this program. On this program, we will focus on art and people with special needs. Would you like to introduce yourself? My name is Alexis Kiriak, and I'm a client at WCMHS, Washington County Mental Health Services. And I'm an artist. What type of art do you do? Fine art. Female nude, interiors, florals, and my work is available online. How do you use your art, despite, because everybody has challenges, but how do you use your art to go past your disability? I was thinking about that this morning, and I have to say that the need, the impulse, the surge of needing to paint puts me in a place that makes me able to see beyond the troubles. And also, government is totally responsible for my recovery. How so? Well, when I was 26, we knew what I was from four years of age, an artist. The illness hit at seven years of age, and it hit hard. It hit your family life as well? Yeah, yeah. When I was 26, they called me down to voc rehab, and they said to me, you're going to school for fine art. Because you had the talent to do that. That's right. One far-seeing, enlightened and effective person knew what that would do. Now, that was in 1976. Because back in the 70s, I grew up in the 70s myself, they didn't have very many services for people who were pushing these back in the 70s. They either institutionalized people or put them somewhere where they weren't supposed to really be. Stuffing envelopes or something, assembly line work. That type of thing. I had done that kind of thing. And you weren't comfortable probably. Well, I wasn't comfortable because the illness was horrible, horrible. It was very, very disabling. I mean, you're not able to function. Watch your dishes. I take care of yourself. So you used your art as a way of escaping to a reality that you wanted to be in. Let's just say that it brought me to that point. So explain more of your art, how your art does that for you. Again, it's an internal necessity. It's something that brings me into a mindset. And I dare say a spirit and soul. Even though we don't have what we're going to show some of your art, but explain some of the art that you've done. Well, there's a concept, a Jungian concept called the anima, which is the unconscious feminine energy of life. And that is all I know. I've been alone all my life. And that added to the elements of the weather and the earth. In Vermont, I'm originally from New York City. I came to Vermont in 91. And in 76, the education and the art started. But the minute I set foot on Vermont soil, my art took off. And that was 30 years ago. Okay, you said you've done fine art. So Rembrandt and some of those guys, do you just do fine art or do you do contemporary things like Bob Ross type of stuff? No, no, no. Purely what I'm inspired to do, purely. When I worry about money, I do what I call my Martha Stewart's. What exactly? Well, Living Magazine has great photographs of food and flowers. And so when I take a break from the other, that's what I do with pastel, chalk pastel and graphite. What medium, so you use chalk, pastel and graphite and other, is that your best medium that you like to do it in? Well, the best is the graphite. And that is serious also. It's also the female nude. It's a sharing in the spirit of life. It's sort of like a communion with the mind of the universe. Okay. And that is what brought me out of the illness. That sense of something infinite. Was that the only thing that brought you out of the illness? No, there were many factors. For example? My family. The same family that gave me the disposition to illness gave me the example of how to overcome. What do you mean by disposition in this case? Physically, DNA. It's a chemical disorder. Schizophrenia has been proven. And some people tell me, well, you're not, but I am. I am. I can sense it chemically. And over the years, I have overcome. You asked me about the factors that brought about the recovery. If you don't mind. People. You mean negative people? No, no, no, no. Dedicated professionals from 1968 onward. My first therapist was a child psychologist named Dr. Moses. And I will never forget him. I was in therapy at nine years of age. And I left him at 18 to go into my first hospital in Queens, New York, called Hillside Hospital. Heard of it. What kid at 18 is going to sit down and listen to a psychiatrist? They're going to be rebellious. Absolutely. So, my thought is over the years, and it's been 50 years, 1968, is that I wish that the people that sweated over me, that agonized over me could see where their work has come to. In terms of your painting and what you've done to accomplish, if there's someone out there that is struggling with what you're struggling with, what is one way you can tell them how to channel their energy through art and other mediums? Well, your gift, what you'd love to do, what would make you feel like you're alive, like you're contributing something, not contributing, but are being nourished by life. What you would love to do, go for. That, and also, it's hard, because my experience with the mind of the universe, with the spirit of life, is a big part of what gave me the experience of safety, because you're constantly assaulted by the vulnerability of your life's safety. You never know when you're going to break down again and need a hospital again. So, you tried to not end up there, but use your painting to focus on... It was a joint cooperative effort between life, my therapists, and all the people that work with me, and myself, and my family. So, your family supports you 100 percent? Mostly, my parents are both dead, and my siblings are not, we're not communicating, but, boy, like I said, they gave me the illness, they gave me the example. How did they give you the illness? I'm trying to understand this. So, how did they give you the illness? Well, it was a combination of nature and nurture. Nurturing too much? No, it was difficult. It was a dysfunctional family. But as every family, you just lived through it. And my mother was on emphatomens for 40 years, and I was too intelligent for my own good. Did you feel you were falling through the cracks? No, I just raged. I hated myself. I hated my illness, and I was angry at it. So you used your painting to come... Medication. Medication. Medication, and surrender. All right, I accept. I have an illness. But I am also not that illness. I am something full of light and... Yeah, you don't let the illness take you over. You just deal with it. And not to be afraid of it, because fear engenders all sorts of reflexes, reflexive knee jerks. Once you get past the anger and the fear and the feeling that it's impossible for you to experience life the way you foresee that you could, you can access that wellness that is natural to us in life, through life. Okay, since we're talking about positive things, these are the questions I ask all my guests. What are some of the misconceptions around people with mental illness that if you first meet them for the first time? Well, the words schizophrenia and psychotic, for instance. Yeah, certain words shouldn't be used. Well, I gave a talk on April 10th, and I think that part of what my art and my experience of healing has led me to is to remove the stigma and the fear. Explain stigma for a minute. You're not the norm. Okay. I still have difficulty socializing. So, for example, in terms of socializing, if there was a whole bunch of people in this room now at an art exhibit that you did, would you have a difficult time talking to them? No, but there are certain people, and it's not a matter of insanity. It's just that you pick up on one of the things about schizophrenia is that it's sort of an evolutionary experiment that went wrong in that intelligence and sensitivity. You pick up on things, and your response to what you pick up on can be uncomfortable. So, since you said that, describe or define schizophrenia. What exactly is going through your mind when you're dealing with that? It's karmic. It's karmic totally. You inherit it, you contribute to it, and you can overcome it. Is schizophrenia similar to some of... Is it a challenge all on its own, or are there other factors to other mental illnesses that contribute to it? Well, for me, mental illness is mental illness. I have many friends who are manic depressive, some that are autistic. Well, that's a physical challenge as well. Well, so is schizophrenia. That's a thing, it's chemical. It is, it's inherited through the DNA. And... Take your time. The experience of... It's a social illness. It's social. It hits you where you live with people. I call myself schizophrenic gregarious. But you're a person. You're not. Exactly. That's the whole thing. You're not... Well, I have to see myself as such, or it won't come through. So, the type of paintings you do, you say it's classical paintings. So, you use it as a positive thing. How long, you've been painting for how long? Since 1976. But seriously, from 1991 when I first came to Vermont. Okay. So, in terms of your paintings, now, schizophrenia isn't gone because it's a permanent thing. But how do you... Other times when you paint, do you forget you have schizophrenia because you're in the painting? You're into painting and all of that? It's the entire lifestyle. Always having something to look forward to, this last show on April 10th at the Barry O'Browse. Or a talk like this. It gives me not just a purpose, although it does give me that. You're a human being and you enjoy things. You don't let things get to you. Exactly. Now, you're going to be going on... Are there any art shows that you have coming up or any particular things you want to talk about? There'll be something at Summer Street in Barry at the Watson County Mental Health Services Station there. They'll have some of my work hanging there. Otherwise, my studio is open to anybody that would like to come. You have a studio? Yes. Where is that? Northfield, Vermont. You live in Northfield? I live in Northfield. Okay. And anybody is welcome. Okay. What type... Did your art change daily there? Or is it monthly installations? No. All of it is available at any time. I'm in the process of organizing again. There are about a thousand drawings, maybe 150 paintings, and embroideries, and... Have you had your work in any art galleries, museums? Galleries, yes. I was at Axel's Frameshop for a while. At T.W. Wood, at Spa, at Innesburg Falls Artists in Residence. Would you consider putting your work in the museum? That's up to the museum. I've been told that my work belongs there. Oh, yes. Bennington. Museum of Art? Ah. And St. John'sbury Athenaeum. At St. John'sbury, there were three full months of my work. One month of the paintings, one month of the drawings, and then one month of the fiber art, the embroideries, I do. Explain that type of work. What kind of embroideries are we talking about? Capestry type things. I have one hanging in my living room right now. It's about four feet or five feet by five feet, and it's a colorful, colorful piece of work. It's stitch after stitch that covers the cloth entirely. Some of it is ecclesiastic. How long does it take you to do something like that? The last one I did that was eight feet by five feet took me a year and a half. And how long does it take you to do it, depending on the medium of painting you use, whether it be pastels or chalk or paint, how long does it take you to do a painting? Usually a day. Depending on your mood? No, no. Depending on how well the work goes. Very difficult, very difficult. So you paint scenery, you paint... The female nude primarily. Primarily. That and also still lifes, interiors, what I call. So bowls of fruit on chairs and tables. Light and dark rooms. Yeah, perspective. For example, it's all about photographic memory. So you can basically take a picture in your mind of what a room looks like and paint a picture of it, correct? What I can do is I can sit in front of a portion, for instance, that chair over there. And the box next to it that is sort of like near it, the way they complement each other, the way they bounce off of each other, the chair is diagonal. The chair and a desk of sort. Yeah. I would sit here with my easel in front of me and sketch what I see. And it's something I really do believe. I have a hard time with what isn't really art. What do you mean by that? Well, I think, although I'm examining it very hard, you must have vision. You have to see beyond... Outside the box. Yep. Actually, inside. As well as out. That's right. As far as a painter is concerned, what's the difference between thinking inside and outside the box? Inside is a gift. It's constantly seeing paintings in your head, in your surroundings, in the weather, in your mind. You go through the artists that came before. You copy, and you're inspired by them. And you must paint, or you're not an artist. Well, I'm a videographer. I consider that art. So is... Father Tom told me about a man, many, many years ago, who was a very pious man. What does that mean, pious? Pious means practicing formal religious. Yep. Okay. And he had a job screwing screws on an assembly line. This was before computers. This was before mechanization, to the extent that we have it now. Yep. And he told me that this man told me one day, told him one day, you know, I did good screws. These kids today, they don't care. It was his response to life that is the art. His response to his life that made him an artist. Now, when you give talks to organizations, even if they're not an artist, can you teach them how to see art? I'm hoping to be able to mentor people that feel they want it, but they are too overwhelmed to begin. I have an ability to convey creativity and I would make it public on this if you are one of those people and would like to investigate your gift. I am open to mentoring. Okay. What was one of the reasons why you really wanted to paint and be an artist? Besides getting with family and the issues that you've dealt with, I mean, was there another medium you wanted to do besides painting? Well, I write as well, but it's just something that I love to do, something that I must do and if I have worked for 30 years, all of them in Vermont, and if I hadn't documented the past 30 years, those years would have gone by with nothing to show and I did not realize what I was doing. What do you mean by that? Not realizing what you did? I just did it. 30 years later, I look at the collection of work I have in a three-room apartment and it's amazing. I was two years on a chronic ward in a state mental hospital in New York. All I had was a paper bag with paper and pencil and a brand new downcoat and two years fully without a break. This is what I have now. So they put you in that ward for two years? Was there a reason why they did? I was ill. I was ill. I was delusional. I couldn't take care of myself. But not look at you. You overcame. See, I had family members that dealt with mental illness. My mother, horrible breakdowns and I had to see that eight years old but I've learned to channel my energy and what I do to advocate for people on this television program and bring forth the positiveness and that's what you're doing in your painting. And again, I'm not aware of how life is going to use it. I am sitting here and I'm talking to you and my motives I'm examining but the actual thing is beyond our comprehension except for the soon... We deal with the gifts that God gives us. And also the troubles that we get and the attitude toward those negative things is very important. So before we end, where can people contact you if they want to see your art? I have a website at AlexisKyriak.com K-Y-R-I-A-K.com Yeah, there's contact information there and they're welcome at any time at the studio. And your studio is where? In Northfield. South Main Street. Well, I would like to thank you for joining me on this edition of Able Done on Air. If you would like to find out about Alexis's art, you can contact her at AlexisKyriak.com and also if you would like to find out more about Washington County Mental Health Services, you can go to www.wmh... Hold on. WashingtonCountyMentalHealthServices.org W-C-M-H-S. W-C-M-H-S.org I would like to thank you for joining me on this edition of Able Done on Air. I would like to thank you for our sponsors, Washington County Mental Health, Champlain Community Services. Again, Lauren... Again, I'm Lauren Seiler. Arlene is off today. Thank you to our sponsors. See you next time and thank you to Alexis Kyriak and her art. See you next time. I am Lauren Seiler. Able Done on Air's major sponsorship was given by Washington County Mental Health Services, where hope and support come together and Champlain Community Services of Vermont.