Cave Spring grad Dell Siler visits Salem High to offer artistic insight
Dell Siler’s portraits capture the kindness and humor in his subjects’ faces. He’s talented, and his work is fantastic, even to the untrained eye.
And he used to create art with a pencil or a paintbrush in his mouth.
Born with a rare birth defect, A.M.C., Siler uses a wheelchair. When he sketches now, he uses his arms, placing the drawing utensil in his hand. His wrists are angled outward, but he produces legitimate and skilled art. His candid sketches go for between $25 and $50 each, and he sells his paintings for more, usually, or trades them for goods or services.
“I’ve been interested in art … from tadpole,” he said. “I cannot remember a time I was not drawing.” It’s one of the things that he can do completely without assistance.
Siler graduated from Cave Spring High School in 1977. He earned his bachelors and masters degrees in Fine Art (specialty in drawing and painting) from Radford University. His favorite subject is “people, folks, individuals…”
On Wednesday, January 11, Siler visited Salem High School’s Visual Art Club in the morning and then stayed through classes and visited with students, also critiquing and giving suggestions for their artwork if they wished.
“They respect his opinion, the artistic wisdom that he has,” said SHS art teacher Mike Gibson.
-Miranda Beck, special to SwoCo
January 13, 2012 - 5:00 PM
I went to graduate school with Dell. He was always so up beat and supportive. I am glad to see that he still helps young people find their way in the art world. After school I went to work for Disney. I still think Dell should be here, he is a far better artist than me, and just as good as most of the artists here.
Dell and I attended drawing and painting classes together in College. We shared many great conversations about classic cartoons and television animation from the 60s, 70s and 80s. He’s a very humerous guy! At certain points in each class, we would have a peer critique of each other’s work, during which Dell always made positive, constructive observations about his fellow students’ works — he really has a teacher’s heart. I’m pleased to see he has interaction with today’s youth, and can continue to share his artistic talents.