The story behind Emily LaVelle Art.
Hello! My name is Emily LaVelle. I am a Deaf artist with a passion for the outdoors. I was born and raised in Northern California among the majestic Sierra Nevada Mountains.
At the age of 18 months old, I was diagnosed with spinal meningitis which resulted in complete loss of my hearing. Afterwards, as I was growing up, my mom taught me art and photography as a way to express myself to a world that could not (perhaps would not always) understand me.
My mom held my hand through the toughest of times - as I was learning how to accept the quiet, she taught me how to thrive in it. Then one day she had to let go suddenly because of pancreatic cancer, I was 16. When she passed, I was lost and confused; the grief and heartbreak, it consumed me and I gave up the memory of her and the skill she passed on - art.
Years later, still mourning the loss of my mom, I chose to pursue nursing because I wanted to help people. I was accepted into my university’s nursing program.
After one year in the program, I came to realize that nursing was not in my heart. My heart always belonged to art, even when I rejected it all those years ago when my mom passed away. I made the decision to change my major from nursing to art, I knew it was where I belonged. And now I am living my dream and I’ve found my voice again, expressed through my artistic creations.
One thing my mom taught me was to never let my Deafness hold me back. I see it as a beautiful challenge to explore the world in a different way & I want to invite you into that world... with my art.
Samwise chilling among his mama’s paintings.