PHILADELPHIA -- A year ago, painting watercolors was just another way to give a Bucks County, Pennsylvania, boy with autism periods of peace during a long, difficult hospitalization.
Now, Emmett Tolis’ paintings, which depict ordinary things like a slice of pizza, the Flyers logo, or a sausage on a fork, are attracting a wider audience, with some decorating cards that sell to customers as far away as Tennessee and Missouri, and more than 50 of them on display at the entrance of a Doylestown arts shop. Sales of the cards online and at local markets have brought in about $10,000 over the last year.
For George and Elizabeth Tolis, of Jamison, the paintings offer a unique view into the mind of a 13-year-old son whose verbal expression is limited.
