TEQUESTA, FL.- The Lighthouse ArtCenter and its board member Cathy Helowicz are proud to present the extraordinary art of Joshua Silver Banks.

Josh Banks, a young man transcending multiple challenges, expresses himself and shares his joyous exuberance of life through his colorful works of art. He was diagnosed with autism around age 2, and now at age 24, he does not speak, but through his artwork Josh is finding his voice.

“After teaching Josh therapeutic riding lessons years ago, it was such a joy to reunite with him with through his artwork. I’ve been very involved with the Lighthouse ArtCenter for six years now and it just felt fantastic to showcase his artwork. I’m so proud and amazed at his creativity and am happy that he has found another outlet for his energy,” said Ms. Helowicz, who taught therapeutic riding to Josh. She arranged for Josh to exhibit at the Lighthouse ArtCenter and sponsored the exhibition, on view through July 26.

The artwork, like Josh, is full of energy and continuous movement. Vivid colors, strokes that cover the page, seemingly at random, are curiously uniform in design. He works on a large piece for about two weeks, while smaller ones take a few days.

His first real opportunity as an emerging artist came during a recent show hosted by the town of Jupiter. The day before this show ended, Josh was invited to exhibit one large piece at the prestigious Arts on the Park gallery in downtown Lakeland, as part of a show by artists age 20-29. Josh’s work was voted the most popular piece.

Classes for special needs children and adults are offered at the Lighthouse ArtCenter’s School of Art, and art instructors are also sent into the community to teach special needs students at various facilities in Palm Beach and Martin counties.