EDMOND & OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – If you really pressed her, Kolby Gill admits she likes coming to her friend Jennifer Hustis’ place in Edmond to cuddle the goats or brush the horses.

“Usually, I come on Saturdays,” Kolby says.

Jennifer operates a small business called The Art of Horsemanship.

But, lately, their work together has centered on the ‘art’.

Hustis says, “The process of creating art can bring a kind of calm to a person.”

Kolby is on the autism spectrum, and where she might have trouble expressing her thoughts through words, when it comes to art, she soars like winged Pegasus.

“People would be so surprised,” she says with a smile, “when they see me draw. They’re amazed.”

Kolby and Jennifer call their collaborative portrait ‘Spirit: The Flying Horse’.

It’s part of a larger project and exhibition called ‘Duets’, organized by Autism Oklahoma, pairing neurotypical and neurodiverse, different approaches brought together to produce something truly original.

One of the organizers of this show, Stacey Weddington, looks around this gallery space amazed at how each duet managed to express themselves.

“The collaborations are incredible,” she gushes.

“When you give someone a pencil or a paint brush and a palette, and say, ‘Just dream. What do you see? What do you want everyone else to see?’ As you can see looking around, you end up with magic.”

There are a total of 17 ‘duets’ in this small show, the first of its kind for this organization.

For people who often lack the means of expression others take for granted, the key to unlocking that prison is often finding another path, another way for the spirit to take flight.

The Duets art show opens on Friday, April, 2 2021, and runs through the first of May at the Paseo Arts and Creativity Center.

All the art is for sale.

For more information on Autism Oklahoma or how to bid for the art online, go to www.AutismOklahoma.org/event/duets/.

For more information on Jennifer Hustis’ business, go to www.artofhorsemanshipllc.com/.