A Driven Artist

Those who know him say William Heard is a driven man. He lives his life now almost entirely on wheels, driving his customized van between his house in Mantachie and his hometown of Tupelo 20 miles away. In high school, he was a hard-driving football player, an Eagle Scout and class president. Now he’s an artist with a business degree and a wheelchair.

The car accident that changed his life happened on March 14, 2000.

William Heard: “We were about 200 yards from my house and I lived on a gravel road, real thick gravel on that road and the driver lost control and fishtailed and went in a ditch. I was in the back seat and I got thrown into the wind shield and broke my c-5, 6 vertebrae in the back of my neck.”

The accident left Heard a quadriplegic for life and sent him into a deep depression for over a year.

William Heard: “I drank a lot I didn’t want to do anything. I was depressed. Just was just a horrible time for me.”

William’s mother Susan Flewellen hoped for the best, but she prepared for the worst.

Susan Flewellen: “We built a huge wing on our house that was voice activated with doors that would open and I assumed that he would be bed ridden for the rest of his life. And that’s what we had planned. And now he doesn’t even live there.. so that is a miracle.”

William learned to strengthen and control his biceps and triceps.
He drives a van with the help of hand controls beside the steering wheel column.
A retractable ramp allows him to drive his motorized wheel chair into and out of his van.

Waiting for him at his studio home is his dog a pug named Primo…

William Heard: “Primo’s got a disability. He’s got one eye. But it doesn’t seem to bother him he gets around pretty good without it. It doesn’t bother him a bit.”

The same can be said of William Heard. Three years ago William saw something that changed not only his life but the lives of many others in his community. It was the movie biography of painter Jackson Pollock. William had gravitated toward painting as a means of therapy after his accident. But it was difficult to manipulate the brushes. After seeing how Pollock worked - by dripping paint onto a canvass rather than brushing it on - William began a new evolution in his self expression. But he put a twist on it. He collects dozens of colors onto a flat pan or plate and then spills them onto a canvas for a vibrant multi-hued effect.

William Heard: “Instead of dripping just one paint at a time, this right here is probably about 20 colors all at the same time. On my plate it looks like a big mess of colors. But when you drip it, it comes out in straight lines and it looks like you meant for it to do that. Really you just don’t know what it’s gonna do.”

It didn’t take long for William’s therapy to turn into an artistic pursuit. He has a yearly art show in July at Seaside Florida, and he had shows in New Orleans, Cape Girardeau, Missouri and several other places, including, of course, in Tupelo.

Amanda Hayden: “We had one of his first art shows here...”
Amanda Hayden owns café 212 in Tupelo.
Amanda Hayden: “…and we had a big turnout and ever since then we’ve been happy to have his stuff here.”

Now William’s work dominates the walls of Café 212.

Amanda Hayden: “Everybody who’s been in here has been inspired by his story and been inspired by him. We’ve been amazed by what he’s taken from a tragedy and made it so amazing and he’s done such great things with his life.”

In addition to creating his own art work, William also teaches art twice a month in Tupelo. All 25 students have some form of paralysis. But they learn more than just how to put paint onto a canvas.

William Heard: “Your life can change at any given time, you just never know. So just to be here on this earth and to be alive, I’m gonna cherish every moment. Just being here.”

William Heard’s students also learn that no wheelchair can confine a true artist. For MPB News, I’m Ron Brown.