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KPBS Midday Edition

Artist's Memoir Describes How Traumatic Childhood Fueled Creativity

Southern California artist Paul Ecke holds a brush to apply paint to a piece of artwork in this undated photo.
courtesy of Paul Ecke
Southern California artist Paul Ecke holds a brush to apply paint to a piece of artwork in this undated photo.
Artist's Memoir Describes How Traumatic Childhood Fueled Creativity
GUEST: Paul Ecke, artist, author, "Boy Dreamer: An Artist’s Memoir of Identity, Awakening, and Beating the Odds" Subscribe to the Midday Edition podcast on iTunes, Google Play or your favorite podcatcher.

Southern California artist Paul Ecke usually expresses his dreams and deepest feelings through painting. However, he instead turned to the written word to tell the full tale of his challenges, struggles and victories through a complicated life. That’s because Ecke believes he doesn’t just have an interesting story to tell, but a message for others to follow their truth and aspirations.

"There was a lot of adversity in my childhood, foster care, and living in that and going through that, I had to become a little creative," Ecke said. "And so I used my imagination and it afforded me to really use it and go into the arts to to become an artist."

There will be a 40-year retrospective of Ecke's work on Saturday, March 30 at the Contemporary Fine Arts gallery in La Jolla. Ecke will be there from 6 to 9 p.m. to speak and sign copies of his new book, "Boy Dreamer: An Artist’s Memoir of Identity, Awakening, and Beating the Odds."