Tana and Jim Ford might not have learned about their son's special talent, had it not been for a school project.
Mack, who has Down syndrome, was in first grade two years ago in the South Fayette Township School District when he and classmates were asked to create self-portraits to be put on tiles and used in the district's new intermediate school.
“When Mack did his, they were just in awe,” Tana Ford said.
His art teacher sent home a note about his self-portrait and its amazing detail — spiky brown hair, large brown eyes and somewhat intricate ears.
Mack, now 9, spends at least an hour almost every day on his art. His drawings are featured on shirts that his mother sells in her Tana's Boutique in Sewickley.
Tana Ford said her son started with black marker drawings on white paper, and has evolved into abstract works of vibrant color on canvas. Many are what you'd expect from a young child, but about two out of every 50 are really special, she said.
“All of the sudden, you'd look at something and are like, ‘This is really cool. There's just something about it,'” she said.
The first three drawings that caught the attention of Mack's parents were ones he named “Scream,” “Mom” (a portrait of his interpretation of his mother) and his favorite, “Icky Bird.” All three are drawn in one continuous motion in black marker.
