Young Oklahoma Artist is Picture Perfect

By Darren Brown, News9.com

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A skilled artist can find beauty even in the mundane.  Just give thirteen-year-old Trevor Aycox a few cans of spray paint, and stand back.

He was introduced to his unique skill on a sidewalk in Galveston Texas.

Trevor's family was on vacation  when they came across a street artist creating spray paint art.

Trevor was hooked.

"He was just tranced out, stuck on that, and wouldn't look away," said Krist Aycox, Trevor's mother.  "Wouldn't look away, wouldn't talk to us."

And while most parents might discourage such actions, Aycox thought maybe she'd found a clue.

The "tranced out" look she described was Trevor concentrating heavily.  He has Asperger's  Syndrome, a condition found on the upper end of the autism spectrum. 

People with Asperger's often have difficulty with social or communication skills, but are able to concentrate passionately on one particular subject. 

Kristi knew that Trevor would be able to not only learn the difficult art, but thrive at it.

She was unable to work out any spray paint lessons for Trevor from the Texas artist, but that didn't deter her.  She searched the Internet and found another spray paint artist in San Diego, California that was willing to teach her son. 

It turns out Kristi also had a close friend that lived in San Diego, which made their trips more convenient.

And now, with over a just a few week's worth of lessons, Trevor's art has landed him a spot at the prestigious Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan. 

He received a $900 partial scholarship, but he still needs around $4,000 to attend Interlochen's summer camp, which starts in July. 

That's why he's having a paint-a-thon.  On May 30, outside the InterUrban restaurant in Ardmore, Trevor will paint for 8 hours, and is asking for pledges for every painting he completes.

He'll also be selling his paintings, some of which he can complete in under 5 minutes.  

But even though he paints them quickly, you probably won't find any mistakes.

"I'm a really bad perfectionist," Trevor admitted.  "I have to have everything perfect." 

TREVOR'S PAINT-A-THON IS SATURDAY MAY 30, FROM 11AM TO 7PM, OUTSIDE THE INTERURBAN RESTAURANT IN ARDMORE, OK.  FOR MORE INFO CALL  877-HEALDTON, OR VISIT www.aycoxart.com.