A guiding spirit for artists with disabilities

As a child, Greg Rogers dreamed of becoming a world-renowned chef. He progressed pretty far with his cooking - but then someone told him that running a kitchen would require him to lift 50-gallon tubs.

Born without a left arm and with most of his right arm missing, Rogers set aside his chef's apron and began searching for another career option. In the end, say those who know him best, it was basically a given that he was meant to be an artist.

"By the time Greg said he wanted to go to art school, I could see that he had a talent that was just different," said his mother, Mary. "It was obvious that this was where he belonged."

These days, Rogers, now 35, lives and works in 900-plus square feet of artists loft space in the Baker Chocolate Factory in Dorchester Lower Mills. The white walls of his oversized studio are lined, floor to vaulted ceiling, with vibrantly colored creations, and still more of his artwork fills the circular landing outside his apartment. The overall effect is stunning. Yet Rogers considers it unremarkable that he carried out his vision for each one of these pieces using only his feet.

"I pretty much just work every day," he shrugged, preferring to talk more about the art itself.

That story took a leap forward in 1996, when Rogers first landed at the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston. A native of Palmer, Rogers had taken as many art classes as he could close to home before moving across the state to study at a school with more than just a couple of art teachers.

Rogers credits the move with inspiring a shift in his work from traditional oil painting to a style that, with its swirls of form and color, is often described as abstract expressionism.

It was at about this time that the bright color and mix of media that have since become distinguishing characteristics of Rogers's art first began to make their appearance in his work. And it was just after graduation that Rogers participated in the formation of the Artists with Disabilities Task Force, an initiative of the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission aimed at helping artists with disabilities use their art as a viable means of financial support. The task force, which started out with just a handful of members, now has about 50 members from all areas of the state. Lisa Weber, the group's coordinator, said Rogers is one of the artists who is "really making a name for himself."

Indeed, Rogers exhibits his work in close to 10 shows per year. His first solo exhibition, entitled "Yellow, Yes Yellow: Channeling Inspiration," opens Friday at The Governor's Academy in Byfield. And his art is selling, at anywhere from $100 to $2,000 per piece.

And Rogers's work is continuing to develop.

Two small canvases might be easy to overlook in his studio. The first depicts an arrangement of rosy red-yellow apples; the second is a glowing still life of fruit and vases.

Could these also be Rogers's paintings?

The artist nodded his head vigorously and grinned. "I wanted to prove to someone that I could actually do realistic work as well."