This painting, ‘Home Sweet Home,’ is a sarcastic reference to some of the places Thomas used to live. /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/u201cWho would want to live there? Well, I lived there, but I wouldn/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/u2019t want to live there now,/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/u201d he says. (Photo by Bella Martinez)/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/nThomas, who creates his artwork under the name Titus Cartwright, says he first became interested in painting because it was therapeutic. Now, however, he says it allows him to express himself and uncover past experiences./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/n
/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/u201cMy artwork explores abandonment, memory loss, neglect, and isolation,/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/u201d he says. /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/u201cI hope to show the effects of child abuse and my experiences in the foster care system./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/u201d/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/n
In an online posting, the Heart Gallery, a Central Florida organization that advocates for the adoption of children, promoted his exhibit and what it said about giving hope to others in foster care:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/n
/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/u201cArt has been a healing way for Titus to express himself and his feelings, which prior to getting adopted was something that he struggled with greatly. His art has given him a voice and an outlet to share and shed light on not just the long-term effects of what he calls /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/u2018unprepared parenting/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/u2019 but also a platform to encourage and inspire our current foster youth to believe in their dreams and to stay open to the idea of being adopted. He has a specific message for those currently in foster care that may be afraid to open up and try again and it is this: /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/u2018Don’t let the fear of your past keep you from the possibilities of your future. Learn to hope again, trust again and love again./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/u2019/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/u201d/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/n
The student says he is grateful for his adopted family who gave him the love and acceptance he sought, and his UCF art instructors who kept him engaged with his work./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/n
/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/u201cThey [his adoptive family] were very patient and understood that the impact of the traumatic experiences wouldn/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/u2019t be fixed overnight,/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/u201d he says. /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/u201cThey/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/u2019re also dog lovers and would rescue dogs from the shelters. We would have six dogs at a time./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/u201d/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/n
As for his art professors, he says they have provided a great mix of experience and advice./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/n
/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/u201cThey are all very different and I feel like they each make me more capable by making my artwork complete and more well-rounded,/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/u201d he says./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/n
After graduation, Thomas plans to move to Georgia to continue to build his body of work, apply for grants to open a gallery, apply for graduate school /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/u2013 and, not surprisingly, take the arts to underrepresented communities./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Titus Thomas lived in eight foster homes before he found his adoptive forever family and now wants to give hope to others in the same situation./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":105334,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"lazy_load_responsive_images_disabled":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[3,5,6,27,29],"tags":[17023,1004,1352,2270,18057,18102],"tu_author":[],"class_list":["post-105188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts","category-colleges","category-community","category-student-life","category-visual-arts","tag-college-of-arts-and-humanities","tag-commencement","tag-diversity-and-inclusion","tag-impact","tag-potential","tag-student-success"],"yoast_head":"/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/105188/n
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