Parkinson’s sparks artistic vision

It was the gift of a digital camera from his son that rekindled Roger Kellison’s love for photography — a passion he hadn’t indulged in since the 1970s. But it was an unlikely event that gave his artistic genius an even greater boost.

“I have Parkinson’s disease,” Kellison said. “One of the drugs I am taking for it — a number of doctors have found that it seems to heighten creativity. They’ve had instances of people who had never even dreamed of reading a poem become poets after they start taking this medicine. I think that might actually be the case with me.”

Kellison said obsessions caused by Parkinson’s disease can take many forms, including compulsive gambling, but that taking pictures has been a lifesaver for him after his diagnosis.

“Fortunately, mine took the form of creativity,” he said. “It’s been a wonder to me.”

Right around the time of his diagnosis, about two or three years ago, Kellison said his son-in-law gave him an important gift that really kickstarted his artistry — his old printer.

“I had never printed a picture before. What that did — I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “I had all of these photographs I had acquired over the years, you know, and it seemed like a miracle to see them come out on paper.”

Kellison then began making collages inspired by posters he’d seen during his 34 years living in New York City. He said he loved the layers of colors left behind by posters that had been ripped away.

Now, the soon-to-be 77-year-old is displaying his work at the Carrboro ArtsCenter in his fourth show of the year, entitled “Photographs and Collage by Roger Kellison.”

Art Menius, the executive director of the ArtsCenter, said he discovered Kellison through a businessman in Carrboro who waved him into his office to look at some of Kellison’s images. After seeing his art, Menius began working towards displaying his art in the ArtsCenter.

“Like all the best visual art, it tells a different story to every pair of eyes that looks on the images,” he said. “The Parkinson’s has affected Roger’s mind. It has taken him into some truly beautiful and striking places, and we are lucky that he has the artistic skill set — even though he will deny having that skill set — to bring those images to our eyes.”

Laura Wallace, Kellison’s daughter, said sometimes she can’t believe what comes out of her father’s mind and that sometimes he stays up two or three nights in a row producing art, one side effect of Parkinson’s and his medication.

“He’s really happy. But I think even if nobody ever wanted any of it, I think he’d still do it. It’s almost like a compulsion — he just wants to make art,” she said.

Kellison said at first he thought his daughter was just getting all of her friends to show up to his openings, but that lately he’s seen more new faces at his shows.

Wallace said her father’s humbleness makes her even happier for his success.

“He’s been all along sort of acting like people are doing him a favor, and I’m so happy that it’s getting to the level where he can’t deny that people like what he does,” she said.

“I feel like he’s in his element. He calls it a second career, but in some ways, I feel like it was what was meant to be all along.”

arts@dailytarheel.com