Artist Statement
The earliest picture I remember taking was in 2004.  It was a picture of a train that I took with my Papa’s point-n-shoot camera.  This started my hobby of photography.  I like to take pictures of trains.  When I take a picture of a train I am not just looking at the train, I am looking at the mountains, tunnels, desert, forest, and city.

I like to also take pictures of nature and big cities.  I camp and hike with my family and go off on my own to photograph lakes, rivers, trees and animals.  When I am in the city, I take pictures of buildings, bridges and street signs.

My favorite picture is of Smith Rock.  The skies are blue and the rocks have many colors. When I grow up I want to be a professional photographer.  I want to sell my photos at art galleries and coffee shops.  I plan to travel around the United States and take lots of pictures.

About Austin Jacox
As a toddler, Austin would stare at pictures for hours, taking in every detail of what he was looking at. Come to find out this is a strong trait for those who are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Austin was diagnosed with High Functioning Autism at age 2. Autism is a developmental disorder that effect social and cognitive areas of development.

Austin’s early childhood consisted of hours of Early Childhood Special Education, Occupational, and Speech Therapy. By the age of three, Austin said his first word, “tails”. This word represented a kitten’s tail, something that he had seen in a picture book.

People with Autism often have an interest in one particular subject. Austin’s is trains. Luckily our first house had a view of the train tracks. Austin would listen for the sound of the trains and climb up to the couch to wait for them. His interest in trains has grown into a collection of model trains, attending a model railroad train club, and taking pictures of trains.

Austin’s interest in photography started by looking at a collection of train photos his father has. Austin would sit and look at these photos over and over, studying the characteristics of the trains. By doing this he started to be able to tell us what type to train he was looking at.

Austin and his father started train watching together when Austin was around 6 years old. This led to him getting his first camera around age 8. He has not put down his camera since then. Austin sees things through his camera. He is a very observant 14 year old who still takes in everything he sees and stores it somewhere in his brain. He is able to remember details of places we have been including what roads we turned on the get there. His photographic memory is incredible.

Austin started to take pictures of everything around him around the age of 12. Today, he enjoys taking pictures of scenery and ordinary objects you and I may pass by. His camera is usually on him or in the car. Austin has just finished his first year of High School and was able to take a photography class. Austin is an example that people with “disabilities” have many “abilities”. Taking the time to nurture these abilities is what makes them shine.

Artist Code: AJ