MOEBIUS SYNDROME IN THE NEWS: MEET A MOEBIUS ARTIST

Her name is Tracy Harper, and she is from Canada.  How does she express herself?  Through her art, and it is fantastic.  Meet yet another Moebius heroine:

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She may not be able to physically smile, but anyone who knows Tracy Harper knows her personality lights up a room and fills others with the warmth of a thousand smiles.
Harper, who suffers from Moebius syndrome, recently beat out 90 other artists to capture the Rare Artist award for her self-portrait titled: What Are You Looking At?
On Thursday, she learned she had won the international competition that featured other artists with rare disorders.
"It sunk in, but I still couldn't believe it was happening," said the Winnipeg artist who grew up in Killarney. "There was a pocket full of tears of joy that came out after."
Moebius syndrome is a rare congenital neurological disorder characterized by facial paralysis. Harper can't physically smile or move her eyes from side to side.
Not being able to express emotions the same way as most, Harper said art offered an outlet for expression.
Her winning painting is a self-portrait, with her face peeking out behind a shroud of leaves.
"My personality comes out in my art," she said. "It's meditation for me. It allows me to express my feelings. What Are You Looking At? deals with some of the experiences that I've had with people looking at me and judging me before they know me."
Harper said living with Moebius has sharpened her ability to understand others' facial expressions.
"I think I can read people clearer as a result of my syndrome and know if they want to get to know me or not. And if they don't, that's fine because they're missing out," Harper said.
During the competition, people from all around the world voted for her painting.
Harper currently works two jobs, and finding time for making art has been a challenge, but she said the attention the award has brought has created a lot of interest in her work.
She plans on committing more time to painting in the near future after she gets home from a trip to Washington, D.C., which was part of the award.
Following the win, a mother from Massachusetts, who has a daughter who also has Moebius, wrote Harper.
"Congratulations Tracy. Wonderful piece of artwork. You give my lil daughter something to aspire to," the woman wrote on Facebook.

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