Cool Stuff: Random Things I Do
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I am very fortunate to be, or have been, involved in some pretty cool things since the accident.
Eternal thanks to my friends and family for their sincere support.
Walk With Me
Walking in an exoskeleton at Gaylord hospital and rehab in Connecticut, Fall 2022. Thank you Kate, Dan and Tim... the best.
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An amazing experience and the closest I can imagine to what it would feel like to walk again. A little hip swing here and there... the Winter Warlock has nothing on me.
Standing Frame
Very cool equipment, from my friend Vin Crudo. This baby lets me jack myself up from a sitting position to a full 90-degrees, and simulates standing (albeit strapped in to the gills.)
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Gets everything back in place, and improve my blood pressure. Big thanks to Zoila.
A Little Swimming... Good for the Soul
Swimming was my jam. More than anything, preferably in the ocean, the bigger the waves the better.
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So after I tripped, fell and broke my neck in 12-inches of water (I know, right!?), and then floated upside down for a bit till I was rolled over, I had a little PTSD afterwards about putting my head under water.
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Thanks to my terrific swimming instructor and friend Sam, I am now able to swim a few laps, and most importantly, flip over on my stomach and then FLIP myself on my back again. No more being freaked out about drowning. Grab your suit and lets go!
Art Class at Fusion Academy
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Now this is the definition of cool... the folks at Fusion Academy here in Fairfield invited me to demonstrate how I paint to 15+ students and teachers, and then let them run wild creating their own pieces using my techniques. They came up with some incredible paintings. Thanks to Amanda Sylvester!
Carriage Barn Show
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Very fortunate to have had a very successful show in April 2022 at the esteemed Carriage Barn Arts Center in New Canaan, CT, with my friend David. Big turnout, lots of fun.
M&T Bank 2022 Annual Report
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Almost every year, M&T Bank, a super-regional here in the Northeast, features a local artist on the cover of their annual report. I was fortunate to be chosen over many terrific other artists. Their overarching theme is "together", so I created this piece, and they were kind enough to feature me on the inside as well.
Wonderful people to work with.​
M&T Bank CEO's
2022 Holiday Card
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How cool is this? The folks over at M&T Bank and their ad agency, Crowley Webb in Buffalo, NY, selected me from a range of local artists, to provide materials so they could collage an image of the People's Bank building in Bridgeport, CT they acquired with their purchase of People's - and use that collage as the focus of their CEO's personal holiday card.
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Not too shabby.
Kessler Foundation
2022 Holiday Card
Thank you to the Kessler Foundation, especially Michele Pignatello and Shelby Nielsen, for selecting my painting "Joy to the World" to be the cover art for their 2022 holiday card to be sent to the friends of the Foundation.
Talk about honored.
Fairfield Commission on disAbilities
Fortunate to have been selected Chairman of the Commission, working with terrific co-commissioners.
Our function is to ensure that Fairfield is a welcoming community where people with disabilities can lead inclusive and fulfilling lives, participating and contributing as active members of our town.
What could be cooler than having your art be used as a label for award-winning vodka... you let me know.
Thank you Sono 1420 in Norwalk, CT for using Hatter's Island as the face of this short run. Buy here (pick up only)
The amazing Kessler Foundation for some inexplicable reason chose me as their centerpiece of their 2021 annual fundraising efforts.... and we beat last year's donations!
Working with them in 2022 also, and already looking forward to 2023.
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Forget me, Kessler is world-class. Check them out here.
Thanks to Silvermine Guild of Artists for accepting me as a lifetime artist member.
Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy
Thanks to 7th grade teacher Ms. Avery Gomez and Missy Savard for allowing me to be the guest "Artist in the Classroom".
Very cool students, great questions & discussion.
"Crocker shares his difficult but ultimately rewarding journey in a recent conversation."
A little article from a terrific company that supports artists.
Podcasts: If You Aren't Tired of Reading Yet
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Thank you Kessler Foundation and Scrambled Eggs & Ham for your interest in my story... I yammer on about my accident, the things I've gone through, and all things painting.
Art Shows
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Thank you Rene Soto, Sono 1420 and Carriage Barn for hanging my work.
