KENOSHA, Wis. — Chace Wilson is a self-taught, 14-year-old artist.
The Kenosha teen learned to paint by watching videos on YouTube with iconic artists like Bob Ross.
Ross was known for his inspiring and cheerful quotes and his art lessons on PBS. One of those quotes was “find freedom on this canvas,” and that’s exactly what Chace Wilson has done.
“It’s probably the purpose of my life,” said Chace Wilson, who was diagnosed with autism at 3.
“He’s tried a lot of things through-out his life to see if he liked them and nothing’s ever stuck,” said Chace’s mother, Lisa Wilson.
“Then one day…. he picked up some paint brushes and started painting and we found out he really liked it, so we just kind of helped him grow with it,” she added.
Chace Wilson has only been painting for two years, but he’s already had his own art show in downtown Milwaukee.
Proceeds from the show went to Island of Brilliance, a nonprofit that supports young people with autism.
Chace’s paintings are also sold on Facebook for $10 each, when his mom has time to post them. He uses that money for art supplies.
“Once you put the paint on the canvas, you can just go away and complete the whole thing...you have to sign it at the end,” Chace Wilson explained.
His biggest fan is his brother, Connor, who is Chace’s fraternal twin.
Connor is not on the autism spectrum. It’s obvious to anyone who meets the twins that they have an unspoken bond.
“I can’t leave him. I don’t know, I don’t know how to explain it,” said Connor Wilson.
He said he thinks his twin is a great artist, and he supports him in every way. He said Chace watches out for him too, intuitively knowing when he needs help, even if they aren’t together.
Painting may be Chace Wilson’s purpose, but his family is his anchor.
“The love I have for my parents and my brother is that I can spend time with them… or just talk to them,” explained Chace Wilson.
He spends most of his free-time painting at the family dining table and said he hopes people will make an emotional connection to his work.
He also has big plans.
“For the future, my purpose, I’ll become a famous artist, probably all over the world,” said Chace Wilson.
Although he prefers to stay home with family, he’ll explore the world, and his purpose — by paint brush.
To check out his artwork, you can join his public Facebook page. It’s called Chace’s Art Shop.