Caleb Griswold, Special Needs Artist with Special Talents

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Caleb Griswold was born with agenesis of the corpus callosum, meaning the right and left hemispheres of his brain were not connected. It affects his fine and gross motor skills, speech, language and cognitive development. His doctors didn’t expect much from him, but with therapy, hard work and lots of understanding he is creating paintings reaching a wide audience.

He has done art fairs the past few years with the help of his parents, Andy and Laura. I met them when attending Art in the Barn in Jackson, WI last summer.

He has an online presence on Fine Art America and has a website of his own as well. He also volunteers at an animal shelter and enjoys spending time with cats and dogs. I asked Laura about Caleb.

When did he discover that he has artistic talent?

His high school art teacher saw his eye for color and composition. In high school he took 1st place in a State Fair competition in the special needs category.

What has been the biggest challenge in raising Caleb?

It has been his obsessiveness. Once he gets an idea in his head, it’s very hard to help him turn it corner and let it go. He doesn’t always understand social cues and boundaries. This requires constant conversations, creative thinking and patience to work through difficult situations.

Describe your emotions when you get to watch Caleb succeed.

As we watch how Caleb navigates through life, by loving people and animals and following his passions, blessing people in small ways wherever he goes, we are filled with pure joy. We know the challenges he has had to overcome to get to this point, so our hearts are filled with gratefulness and the many people who have met him on his journey.

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Where does he get his inspiration?

Caleb loves cats and dogs. He volunteers as “Mayor of Muttland Meadows”, a dog park in Ozaukee County, and the Ozaukee County Humane Society.

You wrote a book about Caleb. Explain a bit about that.

It took two years to write, and it’s called Caleb the Conqueror. It’s a mother’s story of hope. It tells about the journey of raising Caleb, and is the good, the bad and the ugly. My hope is that it will encourage and empower parents and enlighten others about the challenges affecting the entire family in raising a special needs child. It comes with QR codes of articles he’s been featured in, and strategies we’ve used for keeping our sanity along the way.

How long has Caleb been selling his art?

Since 2016 online. He began with art fairs three years ago, and it keeps growing. He bakes dog treats for attendees who buy his art. Caleb also has his own studio at The Grafton Arts Mill, theartsmill.org.

For more, visit calebgriswold.com.