PARKER, Colo. (KDVR) — A Parker man discovered a hidden talent after surviving a terrible horseback riding accident. He is now using that gift to give back to the community.
James Holmes, the executive director of the Cherokee Ranch and Castle in Douglas County, loves horses. On Feb. 3, 2018, he was thrown from a horse.
“She just exploded. She dropped her right shoulder, spun to the right and bucked all in one fluid motion and threw me off. As I was headed to the ground, she took off for the barn and kneed me in the back of the head. Unbeknownst to me, I broke my neck,” he said.
Holmes picked himself up and drove himself to Parker Adventist Hospital to get checked out. He had fractured his C6 vertebra and would need emergency surgery.
“I had a spinal fusion, fusing my six to seven (vertebrae) and with some other hardware was put back together,” he said.
His surgeon told him it would be a 12-week recovery.
Holmes said, “So the first thought is, ‘I’m lucky to be physically fine, thanks to my neurosurgeon.’ My second question to him was, ‘When can I ride again?'”
But his mother and wife suggested he take up drawing and painting, something he loved growing up.
He said, “I rediscovered the love of making art. That’s where the painting journey began. To be at home, unable to go anywhere, it was a perfect outlet really for me. It was very important to my healing — mentally and emotionally. I can’t imagine what I would’ve done as an alternative, what I was physically capable of doing that would give me so much joy, just to create something, see a result, and be able to share that with other people.”
He shared his work on Facebook and the messages encouraged him to continue. Then, Parker Adventist Hospital asked him to display his work as part of the hospital’s “Healing Arts” program, something that has brought his journey full circle.
Holmes said, “It’s a tremendous honor because knowing the value of art in the healing process, to be able to think about coming back to the place where the journey began for me — not knowing what people are here for. There are people here as a result of an injury like me, everything was perfect, one day it’s no longer perfect for a while. There are people here dealing with terminal illnesses where they’re really working through the final stages of their life. And then everything in between, joyful moments, birth of a first child, or fifth child. Miraculous surgeries that give people a new lease on life. To think that people in all those different circumstances are recovering and their families are visiting them can come and see my art, which is truly an expression of healing, for me, is a real blessing.”
Holmes’ artwork has been on display since March, although it has had limited public access because of COVID-19 restrictions. The paintings will come down next week to make room for another exhibit. Holmes is trying to decide what to do with them.
He said, “To hear the feedback, especially from the nursing staff as they come by, realize I’m the artist and they say how nice it is or how beautiful a particular painting is, whatever effort was put into bringing the exhibit here makes every ounce of it worth it to know it touched people. This work has become very meaningful to me and as it’s shared in the community, here in the hospital, those connections have been made. I’m thinking about putting together a special auction to donate funds to a good cause. I’m going to do something special with it, just not sure what yet but I know it now has a story.”
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January 08, 2021 at 09:57AM
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