Minhang studio holds charity event for autistic kids
Oil Painting OK's students show their artworks at the charity event.
A painting studio in Minhang District's popular lakeside area is holding a charity exhibition and sale for autistic people.
The proceeds from the sale of more than 200 artworks, created by the studio's students, will be used to support education, growth and internships for autistic youngsters.
Families of autistic children used the Oil Painting OK studio at the Xinzhuang Plum Garden in Xinzhuang Town as a "penguin huddle" for comfort and to stay mentally warm.
"I had been fretting constantly since I learned my son was autistic," said a mother of an autistic child.
"I came here to learn oil painting and recorded my feelings and observations on the canvas. My life slowed down, and I began to appreciate things just like my little 'snail' son."
The studio's founder, Lu Beiqing, also set aside a corner of his studio to display art crafts by autistic children.
"The children, accompanied by their parents, sell their crafts here in the hope that, through social interactions, they will start to value themselves more," Lu said.
"Then I met Ouyang Dongqing, the founder of the Minhang District Volunteer Association for Autistic Patients, and together we launched this charity event."
One of the paintings' buyers told Lu he had been touched by the works for their warmth. "He was struck by the sincerity in the paintings," Lu said.
