Renowned artist, Stephen Wiltshire does Elevate Houston at the Galleria
Houston’s glorious landscape is set to be part of history as famed artist, Stephen Wiltshire targets Houston as his latest artistic conquest titled, “Elevate Houston: The Big Picture.”
Wiltshire, known around the world for his signature detailed panoramic landscapes, will make his debut visit to Houston in April to create a spectacular panorama of the Bayou City live at The Galleria. This five-day “Elevate Houston: The Big Picture” project begins April 19 and will conclude on April 23.
Starting with a one-time dedicated helicopter ride, Wiltshire will study the city’s iconic architecture and scenery. On Tuesday, April 19, Wiltshire will commence work publicly at The Galleria, spending seven hours each day sketching his 3-foot tall by 12-foot wide panorama of Houston drawn ENTIRELY from memory.
At the age of three, Wiltshire was diagnosed with autism. During his early education in London, it was noticed that his favorite activity was drawing. It soon became apparent he communicated most effectively with others through the language of drawing; first animals, then London buses and finally buildings.
Having been mute as a young child he learned to speak fluently at the age of nine. However, he remained dedicated to drawing and his early illustrations indicated an unusual ability to draw highly detailed landscapes and cityscapes entirely from memory. 
Wiltshire’s precise memory and mastery enables him to look at a subject only once and reproduce it in exacting detail. He is able to recall particular nuances of cityscapes including windows, elevations and decorative architectural elements.
Prior projects have included full-scale renderings of New York, Tokyo, Rome, Hong Kong, Frankfurt, Madrid, Dubai, Jerusalem and London. Most recently, he created a cityscape of Singapore as showcased in the below time-lapse video. The Houston presentation to be staged at The Galleria will showcase Wiltshire’s performance and production in a similar manner.
This event is free and open to the public. Don’t miss any of the action as the presentation will be held at The Galleria—Galleria IV between Macy’s and Nordstrom at 5085 Westheimer.
Visitors can follow the progress on Elevate Houston’s Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/elevatehou, on Instagram at www.instagram.com/elevate_hou, and Twitter at https://twitter.com/elevatehou with the hashtag #elevatehou.
photos courtesy of Stephen Wiltshire