Yuval Wolfson: Painting for Parkinson’s Disease
Known for his brightly-colored peacocks and diverse spectrum of subjects, Park West artist Yuval Wolfson is constantly testing himself as a painter.
Recently, Wolfson accepted a different sort of challenge: Instead of pushing the scope of his art on the canvas, Wolfson is using his artwork to make a difference for people suffering with Parkinson’s disease.
“For me, it’s always been a difficult choice to choose what to do for society,” Wolfson said. “I really didn’t know my art could help other people.”
“High Spirits” (2012), Yuval Wolfson
On December 4, Israeli native Wolfson is making all the difference with his art by partnering with the South Florida Chapter of the American Parkinson Disease Association to support people who suffer from the disease.
During the event, both donors of the APDA and people with Parkinson’s disease will be able paint alongside Wolfson as he walks them through the process of creating a work of art. Wolfson’s intricate paintings require a steady hand, a function people often lose to Parkinson’s disease. As he teaches the crowd to create a painting, Wolfson’s goal is to give people who are losing dexterity hope and confidence in their abilities.
“They have to feel that they can reach something, that they can achieve something with this art experience,” he says.
Yuval Wolfson
About two years ago, Wolfson made the Sunshine State his home when he moved to Hollywood, Florida. While attending a Park West VIP event in Key West, Wolfson met APDA South Florida Chapter chairman Gary Dalin.
“To me, he’s giving back to the community that now he lives in,” Dalin says.
Dalin became involved in the APDA after his mother fell ill with Parkinson’s. While Wolfson is grateful no one in his family has endured the pain of Parkinson’s disease, during his 20s, he witnessed one of his coworkers experience its debilitating effects. Wolfson’s coworker was diagnosed with the disease while working in a print shop in Israel.
“Blue Peacock” (2011), Yuval Wolfson
“He continued working a few years after he got the disease, and I saw him struggling with all the side effects,” Wolfson said.
For Wolfson, the pain of the disease, as well as the need for a cure, weigh heavy on his heart.
“They’re always testing the new drugs, new medicines,” Wolfson says. “The people who have this disease, they suffer from the disease and from the side effects of the drugs they’re taking.”
Through this charity event, Wolfson is helping fund critical research efforts for Parkinson’s disease. Joining the cause, Park West Gallery has donated a Wolfson painting to be auctioned off in support of the APDA.
“Peaceful View” (2011) Yuval Wolfson
As an artist, Wolfson has struggled to find greater significance in creating his art.
“It seems so serious and so demanding just to choose the next color you’re going to use,” he says. “You have to ask yourself: what’s the point? What’s so important about this? Why are you taking yourself so seriously?”
Through the APDA, Wolfson says he has found sincere meaning in his craft.
“I feel like I can help people with what I do which is an amazing feeling,” Wolfson says. “This is giving me the power to continue painting.”
Wolfson hopes his contribution will inspire and support people living with Parkinson’s disease, individuals whose lives have been thrown a curve-ball.
“I always have a plan when I start doing something,” Wolfson says. “In the minute you start the painting, you are somewhere else, and you have to throw away all your plans and start living with what’s happening now.”
To support the American Parkinson Disease Association and to sign up for the “Painting With Yuval Wolfson” event, visit the APDA website.
View more of Yuval Wolfson’s stunning artwork on the Park West Gallery website.
