Issue 20: Dystinct Journey of Jeffrey Hutchinson Fay

My name is Jeffrey Hutchinson Fay. I grew up in Salem, Massachusetts, but now call Kennebunk, Maine my home. Being creative has always been a passion of mine. I really enjoyed art class in school, but I didn't start oil painting until I was 11 years old. Surprisingly, this was also the same age I started to learn in school.

Jeffrey's story

My parents and teachers first thought that my brain wasn't fully developed. So, they thought it best to keep me back a year in kindergarten. It took until the fourth grade for me to be diagnosed with dyslexia. Even after I was diagnosed, there were years where I wasn't properly educated. I did not receive a proper education until I was in Middle School. I found myself lucky to have gone to Landmark School after leaving the public school system. Not only was Landmark School only two towns over from where we lived, but it turns out it was one of the few schools in the country that taught dyslexics at the time. You may also find it interesting that I am a twin. My twin brother and I are both dyslexic and are also both artists. Luckily, it was very easy for us to get into Landmark, but it was very difficult to convince the public school system that they could not teach my brother and me.

It was exhausting getting tested every year to see my improvement. My mother spent hours documenting every interaction we had with the school systems, in fear that they may take away the education that was working for us. When I was old enough, I attended my IEP meetings. It was very sad to hear how extremely dyslexic I was. Then still, I did not receive the proper education that I needed until I was in middle school. In the midst of all the confusion, art showed me how 'I learned'.

When I create art, I am able to see each step in making a painting by first visualizing the image in its simplest form. I first block out each shape by warm and cool colors then add my lights and darks. I unintentionally use the same method in my everyday life. For instance, when I became a properly trained carpenter, I could visually see the projects from start to finish. I pick up on things very quickly. This doesn't mean that I haven't had my fair share of mistakes. In fact, I've made lots of mistakes.

If being dyslexic wasn't hard enough, I feel that I have ADHD as well. I often procrastinate when I know I need to do something. I often move from one thing to another without ever really accomplishing or finishing the first task. Writing this article about myself has taken me a couple of months. I try to stay focused on each topic while memories continue to pop up. But, for whatever reason, I can sit and hyperfocus on a painting. It's almost as if my brain gets the chance to relax.

I can sit and hyperfocus on a painting. It's almost as if my brain gets the chance to relax.

For the longest time, I thought that painting was a getaway from the struggles of school, but in reality, it was a place where I could switch my brain off. Everybody has their own reason for making art, but I feel art has a special place for someone who has a learning disability. I think it's a great place to make mistakes and learn from them. In 2019, I started teaching oil painting classes to kids and adults. Sadly, in 2020, my classes were put on hold. I hope to start teaching again soon. I would love to create a space where people can also explore how they learn. Instead of teaching my students a specific way of painting, I prefer the idea of guiding them by demonstrating various techniques in hopes of sparking excitement in their own work. I once had a make-up artist as a student. She applied paint like she was applying make-up but onto a canvas. I found it so fascinating. She already knew about mixing colors. We focused on drawing a still life. This helped teach her perspective.

Some may wonder if I went to a prestigious art school, or did I just learn this on my own? In fact, I have no college education. I attended a small art school in Marblehead, MA, called the Acorn Gallery School of Art. I would overhear my teacher teaching other kids and pick up only on things that I was interested in. My teacher would point out things that I needed to work on —simple things like, "Look at your drawing; you might need to warm up the sky; just add a little red." Sometimes, my teacher would just turn my painting upside down and ask, "Do you see what's wrong?" By seeing it from a whole different perspective, I was then able to find my own mistakes. I was there so much that Deborah Highberger, the owner, gave me a key to the school. Within four years of painting at the Acorn Gallery, at the age of 15, I was teaching kids how to oil paint. I was given a key to the art school and encouraged to paint anytime I wanted.

Dyslexia is not who I am but is the foundation to who I have become. Knowing how I learn has gotten me to where I am today. I didn't know that making art was going to teach me how 'I learn'. By breaking down in sequence the steps to create a painting, I am able to use that same method in my everyday life. If someone was to tell me something I needed to do, I would repeat it and then visualize myself doing it.

I've always had a blue-collar job. I find that being hands-on at work has been very beneficial to my creativity. I need to fully understand the task at hand and ask questions to better visualize what I will be doing. I often find it exciting trying to find easier and faster ways to do things. I can't help but incorporate what I learn at work into my works of art. I understand how a house is built from my years spent as a carpenter, driving through all of New England, experiencing the true essence of the northern states, and working as a delivery driver. Creating straight lines as I restore a '53 Cadillac as an auto body technician.

Dyslexia is not who I am but is the foundation to who I have become.

It's interesting that I started at Landmark school the same year I took my first oil painting class. I feel that 1991 was the year everything changed for me. I remember walking into the small garage on Birch Street in Marblehead, MA. It was incredible how life-changing it was for me to hear a teacher praise me for doing an amazing job, and I had put little to no effort into it. I felt like a different person, but this was not my drive to be a 'great artist,' I just couldn't believe I was good at something. The small art school that started in the garage soon grew into a larger space now called The Acorn Gallery School of Art.

The key to my success is having no fear of making mistakes and working with the tools that have been provided for me. Thank you for spending the time to hear my story.

Jeffrey Hutchinson Fay

Extracts from Dystinct Magazine