Iowa woman with dyslexia finds her artistic voice through mosaic creation

From The Telegraph Herald in Iowa:

Dubuque artist Sally Larmon (pictured) loves mosaics. And, it's no wonder. The pieces that make up the 12-ft. tall, 7-ft. wide stained-glass and marble mosaic she is handcrafting above her home's fireplace almost serves as a reflection of her life -- bold, beautiful and sparkling with color and intricacies, with just a hint of unusual flare

"I've been through a lot," Larmon said. "It's been a very unusual life, but I can't complain."

Larmon's life has been mirrored by her art, using it as a lifeline through trials and tribulations -- battling dyslexia and diabetes, caring for a husband who suffered a stroke -- eventually leaving her a widow -- narrowly escaping death as a result of excessive weight -- 400 lbs. of it having been shed -- and having gangrene after peripheral neuropathy forced her into a nursing home, necessitating the use of a wheelchair and walker.

Now 66, Larmon draws a much different picture -- that of a strong, independent and newly energized woman with a knack for living, continuing to document each of life's events through her art.

"To be doing anything besides art and music has been secondary for me," Larmon said. "I've realized as an artist that you are constantly putting yourself in your work -- even when you aren't aware of it. There's no hiding yourself."

Given an easel at age 5 by her father, Larmon's earliest memories are of sketching the Wicked Witch from "Snow White" and getting in trouble for coloring outside the lines and building miniature sculptures outside in the mud.

Early on, Larmon, who showed signs of dyslexia, carried a deep sense that she was different.

"I always had this feeling that something was wrong with me -- like I was dumb," Larmon said. "I had a lot of trouble reading and couldn't do what others did. It wasn't until I went to a doctor to get tested that I learned this wasn't true. They told me I just saw things differently. I was actually very smart."

Professionals from the art world agreed and were quick to take notice of Larmon's artistic knack.

At a young age, Larmon had already developed a keen eye for contrast, creating a green and blue mosaic of Jacqueline Kennedy, which was submitted to the University of Iowa. A winning entry, the piece was used in a slide show that toured the country, showcasing young artistic talent.

By her teenage years, Larmon was accepted into the University of Illinois-Champaign-Urbana as a gifted student to study art and music.

During her high school years, Larmon would travel between the Visitation Academy, in Dubuque, and Champaign, Ill., for her studies.

More than just a talent and a love, art was an escape.

"It was someplace I could go in my mind and just see color and flow," Larmon said. "Art was so much more to me than creating. It was my lifesaver. It improved me."

After high school, Larmon relocated from Dubuque to Chicago, where she continued to hone her skills with professors from the Chicago Institute of Art, hosted a variety of art shows and joined numerous art leagues.

Larmon would remain there for the next 27 years, marrying and raising her children. She also spent a good deal of time cultivating her musical talent as a vocalist, singing throughout Europe. Though the taste of being able to pursue her art was sweet, she missed her Dubuque roots.

"I never really wanted to leave Dubuque," Larmon said. "I would cry every time I visited and would have to leave again."

Throughout much of her life, Larmon said she struggled with her weight. But it wasn't until her husband, who suffered from alcoholism and hemophilia, had a stroke at age 48 -- leaving her to care for him -- that her health began deteriorating further.

"I just didn't take care of myself," Larmon said.

Larmon returned to Dubuque, designed the handicapped-accessible home she still resides in and spent the next 14 years caring for her ailing husband.

"I designed the home to have wide, slide-in doors for when he would collapse and a bathroom I could just hose down when he would start hemorrhaging -- it was a very difficult time," Larmon said.

Larmon's home also began to pay tribute to her life through her art, featuring elaborately detailed techniques on the walls and paintings depicting her hidden pain.

After Larmon's husband died at age 62, she realized the tremendous toll it had taken on her.

"I weighed so much I couldn't get out of a chair," Larmon said. "I couldn't walk or stand or open doors. I was told by a doctor that, basically, I would be gone within the next year if I didn't get rid of the weight. It was such a strange thing because all my life, I had been so active. I just wanted to feel like it felt to be a woman again."

Larmon was admitted to a hospital and, later, to a nursing home to recover.

While there, she suffered open wounds to her liver and gangrene, coming close to death. But through the support and care of her girlfriends -- with whom she has remained close and traveled annually since high school -- Larmon rebounded, began exercising rigorously and got herself back in shape.

"There is something to be said for the connection between women," Larmon said. "It's something I have always found to be amazing. Not many people can say that they are still best friends with the friends they had in high school. But I can. And, the connection I have to these women is phenomenal. They are all incredibly giving human beings, each with a special talent. And, we're all a little crazy. Fifty years later, we'll still hide in closets and jump out to scare each other."

Today, Larmon is a new woman, with pieces of her past reflected in the artwork she is constantly creating.

Though she works in nearly every artistic medium, Larmon's latest passion is for her newest creation -- the mosaic above her fireplace.

"I'm very drawn to bold colors," Larmon said. "Mosaics are a lot like life. They are completely different pieces when you look at them at different times. Their colors change, and every time you look at them, you see something new."