Suburban man with cerebral palsy inspires others with his artwork

CHICAGO - An artist in the northwest suburbs is illustrating the potential of having a disability. He is using his nearly paralyzed hands to create beautiful artwork, and it's inspiring others with disabilities as well.

Chris Viau calls his artistic ability a natural talent. It is an extraordinary description when you see the obstacles he is facing every day.

His imagination is colored by beautiful landscapes, even though his disability has limited his travel.

"I have cerebral palsy. It affects my legs and arms. I can't talk,” Viau said.

He is a Chicago artist and the author of two poetry books. Both startling descriptions considering he has limited movement and uses a computer to communicate.

"Art gives me somewhere to go and have friendship. With my art, I know pieces I make bring joy to people,” Viau said.

His portraits jump off the page with vibrant color, but most importantly, they inspire hope.

"The landscapes that I do are mountain landscapes and Midwest landscapes. I like to do sunrays and sunset,” Viau said.

His work has recently been commissioned by a housing community called “Over the Rainbow,” which was built for the physically disabled.

Diana Gomez is a resident.

"When I met Chris right away I thought very bright, intelligent person, very outgoing,” she said.

Gomez says the work has shown her there are no limits when you have a passion.

"It makes me very happy to see other people like him,” Gomez said. “They use their talent to show the world that we can do things. That we're not just sitting at home doing nothing."

If you are interested in Viau’s work, or want to make a purchase, you can view more of it online by going to ArtsofLife.org.