Turning pain to passion: El Paso Artist paints through Tourette’s
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Scott Hovis II is a local El Pasoan, is not only an artist — he's an activist hoping to raise awareness about the power of creativity on helping with mental and physical struggles.
His abstract art is his way of making "beauty through pain." Hovis has lived with Tourette Syndrome (TS), a condition of the nervous system. While it's most well known for symptoms causing involuntary word repetition, it can also cause twitches and ticks.
Hovis has dealt with both in his life, and his artwork connects to his personal journey with TS. The Purple Gallery says that Scott infuses his art with" movement, and each "brushstroke is a testament to his resilience, creativity, and unwavering spirit."
Scott spoke with ABC-7 about his work, and his life with TS — giving us a window into how he fuses paint, color, his life story and beauty into his artwork.
Hovis' work is the star of the new solo show, "Bloom," at the Purple Gallery. You can learn more about this show, and the gallery, at this link.
Avery Martinez covers mental health in the Borderland as part of ABC-7’s Be Mindful initiative. He is also a Report for America corps member. RFA places talented, emerging journalists in newsrooms like ABC-7’s to report on under-covered issues and communities. Report for America is an initiative of The GroundTruth Project, an award-winning nonprofit journalism organization dedicated to rebuilding journalism from the ground up.
