"This Is where I Am Free": The Physically Handicapped Anette Jablonski about her Hobby Painting

Painting is all the world for her. With her hobby Anette Jablonski gave sense to her life. Since she had a cerebral impairment as a little child, the 30-year old woman can only burr, move the right part of the body very badly and the fine motor skills of her left hand are missing. Nevertheless, she takes the flatiron and creates paintings from wax.

01/06/2008

Anette Jablonski with some of her
paintings; © REAHCARE.de

REHACARE.de visited Anette Jablonski in her accessible living community and talked with her about her passion.

REHACARE.de: Miss Jablonski, what does painting mean to you?
Anette Jablonski: Painting keeps me alive. Due to bad experiences in my childhood my mind sometimes tells me that I’m worth nothing. In earlier times I often tried to cover my problems. Today I deal with them by painting.

In all-day-life I feel dependent – this is different when I am painting. This is where I am free. When I look at my pictures I can say “That was me. I am somebody and I can do something on my own.” When I am at work this is something I cannot do. And the kind of work in the workshop for the handicapped - packing – does not exercise my mind.

REHACARE.de: Why did painting become your hobby-horse?
Anette Jablonski: I do painting since people cannot understand me very well. In this way I can finally show them how I feel. When I don’t feel well the colours of my pictures are dark, when I’m happy, they are bright. People watching them can see that.

REHACARE.de: And you achieve all this with a flatiron.
Anette Jablonski: With a hot flatiron I melt wax colours and then put them onto the canvas. This technique is called encaustic. Currently I try new ideas and stick stones and other materials on the pictures.

REHACARE.de: Why did you choose this technique?
Anette Jablonski: I’ve always wanted to paint. But due to my difficulties in grapping it did not work. Until an art therapist showed me the technique with the flatiron during a cure in 2001. With it I could finally paint and it became an exciting hobby.
Since I have been living in a self determined living community I even have an own studio in the basement where I can do what and whenever I want do. I even organise my own exhibitions.

REHACARE.de: Sounds like a time-consuming hobby.
Anette Jablonski: This varies. Sometimes I paint every day, sometimes once a week. Prior to exhibitions I work a lot. Among my work in the workshop for the handicapped I have otherduties. There is not much time left. And sometimes my body does not want what my head wants. I just paint when I like to.

Anette - the queen of the flatiron;
© REAHCARE.de

REHACARE.de: How does it feel like when other people watch your pictures?
Anette Jablonski: The first time it was quite a shock – everybody was there, even my parents. But it is a great feeling when people like my pictures and even buy them. However I still have many doubts about my work. I’m often afraid not to achieve what my pig head wants to.

REHACARE.de: Does the people’s validation help against these doubts?
Anette Jablonski: Yes, it does. For some disabled persons I even am a kind of role model. Furthermore I can show my parents that I am able to do this. First they did not like my hobby and they did not put any trust in me. However, today they seem to be quite proud of me.

REHACARE.de: And how do your plans for the future look like?
Anette Jablonski: I am looking for something new. I would like to turn my hobby into a profession. And I want to reach other wheelchair drivers and tell them not to hide behind their disability but to try for a goal.

REHACARE.de: How would you feel like without your hobby painting?
Anette Jablonski: Like a poor spastic.

Natascha Mörs

REHACARE.de