Dallas Boy Born Without Hands Excels As Gifted Artist

Desmond Blair stands by the adage, don't judge a book by its cover. Born without hands and only partial palms due to a birth defect caused from unknown reasons, the 12-year-old continues to excel as a gifted artist.

"I have never even really thought about not having hands," Blair tells JET. "I just draw. I started scribbling. I would see pictures I wanted to draw, and then I would draw them."

Blair, an eighth-grader at the W.E. Greiner Middle School & The Academy For The Exploratory Arts in Dallas, TX, which specializes in the arts, is one of the top artists at his school. A self-portrait he drew recently won him first place in the Junior High Art Show at the Arts Magnet High School for Middle Schools Art Competition in Dallas.

"His technical acuity and ability to draw with technical accuracy is incredible," marvels Greiner Academy art teacher Derrick Sledge of his former student. "He really enjoys doing Japananimation (a Japanese-inspired cartooning-form that emphasizes detail). That's some of the toughest cartooning to do nowadays."

Desmond's mother, Joyce Blair, noticed her son's liking for art when he was 3. "He did a lot of coloring," notes Ms. Blair. "In the first grade they were studying whales and had to draw some. The teacher said he had the best."

When Desmond places his artistic tool of choice firmly between his two small palms, he draws up a storm. "I've painted with acrylics and watercolors. I've done linoleum prints and made clay sculptures. I've done everything," reveals the honor-roll student who was nominated for artist of the year in 1997-98 at his school.

Desmond enjoys creating cartoons and counts Bill Watterson, the creator of the former cartoon Calvin and Hobbs, as his favorite artist. "I just like making up my own characters like Japanese animated cartoons," contends Desmond. "I like cartoons because I want to be an animator when I grow up. I want to attend the University of California at Los Angeles because they have an animation club."

His mother is proud of her son's phenomenal art work and outstanding artistic ability. "I know God is able. I can't draw like that with one hand," she relates. "I believe it's a gift from God that He's given Desmond."