A lost voice is found, through art

It is a cold-sweat nightmare for a lot of people. This one ends with butterflies and autumn leaves.

Jessica Vohs's working brain was trapped in a nonworking body wracked by cerebral palsy. Unable to walk or talk, the world presumed she was severely mentally handicapped as well, incapable of meaningful communication.

Then, in 1990, a personal computer entered her life, along with a facilitator to help her type and pick out pictures. Then the world heard from Vohs.

Vohs is 36, a high-school graduate whose bright, nature-oriented watercolors and hand-painted scarves are sold at fairs and on the Internet. The Brookline resident also has a show at the Gallery @ Southside in Danvers through January.

Being able to communicate through her art "has brought Jessica day-to-day happiness, everyday happiness," said her mother, Janet Vohs.

During a recent visit to Vohs's Brookline apartment, which she shares with her friend and facilitator of two years, Theresa Harris, a flowing silk scarf dyed with hot pink abstract blooms covered the table in front of her wheelchair.

"She loves vivid colors, especially anything related to red or pink," said Harris, a textile artist from Newton. "We've gone out and found leaves and things like that. She really likes using leaves to print. So sometimes they are representational. But most of the time, the scarves are just abstract, for the colors."

In her sunny room, Vohs held a brush in her hand and, with Harris supporting her wrist, moved haltingly to sketch black highlights and outlines. She paused only to grasp a visitor's hand and hold it to her cheek, a sort of welcoming hug.

The two women work together three long afternoons a week, Harris said, and Vohs always wants to work. Vohs followed the conversation and murmured in assent or objection.

On this afternoon, she was frustrated, artistically, as recent surgery to relieve muscle problems in her left arm has forced the left-handed artist to paint with her right.

The temporary loss of a communication book assembled by her mother filled with pictures and words she can point to also made it difficult for her to express her thoughts. So she was not so interested in talking about her art or the hard work to create it.

She was more willing to talk about her current exhibit. She gestured for a facilitation tool, basically a keyboard drawn on a piece of cardboard, and typed one letter at a time until she has spelled out, "I will be excited."

What is she most looking forward to about it? With a big smile at Harris, she spelled out, "You will be there. I will be there. It will be great."

"I think it's the process, working with someone. She really, really loves to be with people," Harris said. "Sometimes she likes to be really independent when she does her work, but she always wants me here. And then other times she really wants to be physically close, holding the brush together."

Vohs loves listening to music while they work. She pointed out the KT Tunstall CD that is a current favorite, and a picture on the wall showing her meeting with the Indigo Girls. The mention of John Mayer, whose disc is also atop the stack, elicited a squeal and a blush that made the keyboard superfluous.

"I think the things that matter in life for her," her mother said, "are her friends, what she's going to eat, and the work."

The exhibit in Danvers is part of the ArcWorks program at North Shore Arc, which has helped provide home services for Vohs for many years.

"We started about three years ago when we had a group of parents and staff who wanted to do more than just an arts and crafts program," said Suzanne Ryan, the group's director of volunteer services. "There were folks with developmental disabilities and other disabilities who were interested in more than just arts and crafts, so we wanted to take it to another level."

Peter Flister, director of recreation for ArcWorks, recalled the group's first exhibits. "When people knew we were having a show from the Arc community . . . they were probably thinking we were going to have some bad handicraft projects up for show," he said. "And they were absolutely blown away by the work these people did. And these people sold some paintings as well. So it's about changing perceptions."

"The first time I saw her work," Ryan said of Vohs, "was at the State House, the 'Freedom' painting she did with butterflies. . . . I just found it so beautiful. . . . I always had it in my mind that I would love to have her work. It just hooked me - the colors, her composition. I loved it."

Vohs's artwork can be seen at jessicavohs.com. Details about the ArcWorks program are at nsarc.org. Vohs's show is on view from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, at the Gallery @ Southside, 6 Southside Drive in Danvers.