At age 10,
Tatyanna Jackson has received her first major public recognition as
an artist. Her drawing won the mayor’s annual holiday card contest
and will convey Mayor Francis G. Slay’s holiday wishes this
season.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>But Tatyanna is not new to art. Her mother, Sharon Jackson, said she has been drawing since age three – indeed, since before she could speak.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“Before she could ever speak she would draw her feelings on paper, how people made her feel,” her mother said.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>At the age of four, Tatyanna was diagnosed with autism.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“She wasn’t speaking like the rest of the kids, she was always quiet,” her mother said.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Tatyanna’s artistic talent amazes her family and teachers. She can draw almost any cartoon from memory with incredible detail.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“She draws all cartoons, like Popeye,” Tatyanna’s mother said. “She gets better and better through the years. I have cases and cases of her drawings that I hold.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Tatyanna learned about the holiday card contest from Diane Solan, her fourth grade art teacher at Humboldt Academy in the St. Louis Public School District. Solan has been following Tatyanna’s artwork since she taught Tatyanna at Wilkinson Early Childhood Center.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“This child has an incredible gift at cartooning and draws naturally and from memory,” Solan said. “She especially loves to draw animals in her cartoons – not only are they comical and funny, but highly detailed.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Her award-winning drawing does include animals. She chose a topical theme of the Word Series champion St. Louis Cardinals, featuring a bat-wielding squirrel (an allusion to the famous Rally Squirrel) and a cardinal handing a ball to a snowman, whose head and body both are drawn with baseball seams. Squirrel, bird and baseball snowman all wear Cardinal caps.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>According to Solan, the card she drew for the contest took about 10 minutes to complete, but the other artwork that Tatyanna is able to spend more time on is even better.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Wiley Price, The American’s photojournalist, agreed after he saw the girl’s work when he shot her portrait.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“The artwork in her booklets looks like a high school student’s work,” Price said. “And she draws with a Sharpie!”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>When Tatyanna found out she won the contest, she was excited. “Yeah, I was very happy,” she said.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Her gift appears to be innate. Tatyanna has never taken an art lesson. According to her mother and Solan, Tatyanna only needs to see something once to remember it and draw it with incredible detail.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“As an elementary art teacher, I have yet to experience a child with these (in my opinion) savant-like talents,” Solan said. “She is truly amazing.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Her mother – the artist’s first collector – is gratified by the recognition from the Mayor’s Office.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“I was looking into her artwork and hoping someone would shine some light on her talent,” her mother said. “I didn’t know it would come like this, which is a blessing.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The blessing is deepened by Tatyanna’s personal challenges.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“She was diagnosed with autism, but she’s a very smart girl and happy all the time,” her mother said. “She doesn’t roller skate, ride bike or jump rope, but she’s an artist and she’s my angel.”
