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Sammy Linebaugh ReportingIn the world of Peter Stone dinosaurs talk, lizards leap buildings in a single bound and romance on mars is called a space kiss.
Peter Scott Stone, Artist: “They use their powers to make energy.”
Diagnosed with autism at seven-years old, the age at which he remains emotionally, the 30-year old spends each Saturday drawing pictures at the home of Walt Hunter.
Mother: "As far as he's concerned, he wishes every day was Saturday morning that he could spend with Walt."
Hunter, who is the art director at the Midvale Boys and Girls Club, is also trained to work with autistic adults and was initially hired to work with Peter short-term.
Walt Hunter, Art Mentor: "I actually only worked for the provider for about a year, and I just couldn't let go of our friendship."
And so the Saturday art classes continued. Meanwhile Hunter told everybody he knew about Peter’s gift. This week, his persistence paid off. Peter's drawings debuted Wednesday at the Barnes and Noble bookstore in Sugarhouse where the young artist explained to onlookers the names and nuances of his characters.
From a couple holding hands, to sci-fi scenes of a monster devouring a building, Peter's creative reserves seem endless, and in fact he's also taken to poetry. The poems, like his art, are a window to his thoughts, offering glimpses into the mind of the man who simply wants to be understood.
Peter: “What if I can help me. What if you can help me…What if I can’t trust people anymore. What if I’m right?”
“What if”...those are words Walt Hunter likes to hear.
Walt Hunter: "He wants to make a living and a life for himself as an artist, and I totally one hundred percent believe that's within his realm."
Mother: "Since about seven, he's always had disabled tacked in front of his name. Now, tonight, he is Peter Stone, artist."
And those three words could someday say it all.
Peter Scott Stone's artwork will be on display at Barnes and Noble through August.
