Prices for Sevy Eicher’s works, like “A Wild Party With Friends” shown here, start at $300.
Meet Sevy Eicher: 15-year-old sister to three siblings, adopted daughter of two Memorial High School sweethearts, bright-eyed teen with Down syndrome and, now, internationally acclaimed abstract artist whose latest collection sold out in three minutes.
“I didn’t pay attention to her drawing for a while,” says mother Lisa Eicher. “But then I realized that she was superintentional about what she was drawing and it was all really thought out. I told my husband that she must be some kind of savant.” Joey Eicher, Lisa’s husband, went into the garage, got “all these random tools” (think a crowbar, scrapers, old brushes and foam rollers) and let Sevy go to town with some paint and plywood. “She was using both hands and doing these scraping techniques,” says Lisa. “She created this masterpiece that I posted on Instagram, and people went nuts over it.”
At first, the Eichers didn’t consider selling her art, says Lisa, “but when people kept asking, I realized that it could be her future and her career, and she could have a purpose.” Sevy is almost completely nonverbal. Art, as it turns out, is her voice—her way to connect.
Sevy currently creates her large-scale abstract pieces at Sandal Gap Studios—a nonprofit inspired by her 11-year-old sister, Ace, one of her fiercest advocates. Once while Sevy was painting, Ace and a group of friends joined her. “They were all equal,” recalls Lisa. “Art was the thing that was bringing them together—this very simple concept of art being this equalizer between these girls.” Thus, Sandal Gap Studios was born—a place where differently abled artists can come together and “sit at the same table to be loved and accepted exactly as they are.”
Right now, the organization is focused on developing its artists, of which there are four, but it will also be a place for art classes, private events, demonstrations and meet-and-greets. “Our studio exists,” the website says, “to encourage compassion and kindness through creating and sharing.” It feels like Sandal Gap Studios might just be the Eicher’s magnum opus.
Photography by: Lisa Eicher
