Paper-tearing soothes this Wisconsin man with autism. It has also made him an artist

In the children's book "Grant, the Eco-Friendly Artist," a young child is hyperfocused on tearing paper. The book says that Grant "would draw, paint, and tear paper for hours and hours, over and over!" Combined with Grant's fear of loud noises and aversion to schedule changes, the paper-tearing is one of the signs that brings his mother to the pediatrician and results in Grant being diagnosed with autism.

The picture book traces Grant's paper-tearing as it grows into something else — an art form. Grant uses torn paper and clear glue — as well as paper he peels off puzzle pieces — to create collages. Grant wins an art contest and starts selling his collages. He and his mom also start traveling to schools to teach other kids how to use recycled materials to create eco-friendly art and to teach them about autism.

And that's where our story gets meta. Because the picture book is the story of a real person, Grant Manier, written by his mother, Julie Coy, as part of a series of books that the two utilize in the eco-art classes they teach to kids around the country.

Creating 'coolages' as 'a form of meditation'

Manier said he tears paper as a self-soothing mechanism. And when he realized he could use his method to make art, it became a manifestation of one of his mantras, one that is repeated in the children's books his mother writes: "It's not what I can't do. It's what I can do that makes me more."

"Tearing paper soothes my anxieties; it's a form of meditation," Manier said. "And art is another way to soothe my anxieties. I could be working on art for hours a day. I'll start early in the morning and get so involved that I'll look up after a while and say, 'Where's the sun?' "

Manier calls his works "coolages" because he uses "cool colors, cool shapes and cool textures" to create them. His torn paper typically comes from recycled magazines, wallpaper, posters, calendars and, of course, puzzles.

"Puzzle pieces are my signature mark. I'm the only known artist to do that," he said. "And I don't use paint at all, just the color from recycled paper. I put glue on the canvas, then layer the material on top of it to make the 'painting.' "

Manier has made large, complex pieces like a mermaid, a jester and an homage to Van Gogh's "The Starry Night"; those take him a few months to complete. But there are also smaller pieces that he does "over and over again" as models for students in his art classes. Those pieces, including snails and hot air balloons, take him about two weeks. Overall, he estimates he's created more than 200 art pieces.

Teaching others about eco-art and raising money for charity

Manier, who is now 27, has been doing eco-art since he was 4 years old. He entered and won his first contest in his home state of Texas at the age of 15.

"After that, a lot of teachers were calling and asking if their students could create art the way I do," Manier said. "So we went from one class to another, making one art piece after another. And they got more complex as time went on.

"You should see our garage," he added, laughing.

Coy said the art contest opened a lot of doors and the two of them went on the road after that, traveling to art shows and auctioning off or selling Manier's art to raise money for charity.

"We're at the $450,000 mark over the last 10 years through the Grant Gives Back program," Coy said. "We've raised money for things like wheelchairs, hearing aids, camps, therapy and first responders, whatever money we can raise for the community."

Manier's efforts have included creating a portrait of Pewaukee native and NFL star J.J. Watt for Watt's foundation; the portrait sold for $3,000 to support the foundation's work.

Sharing stories about autism and other special needs

A few years years ago, Coy decided to write a picture book to read to the kids as part of the art classes.

" 'Grant the Jigsaw Giraffe' is my story but with a twist," Manier said. "I'm a giraffe in it!"

In the book, Grant wants to be an artist but can't hold a paintbrush because he has hoofs. After talking to his animal friends, he realizes he can use what he has instead of what he lacks to be the artist he wants to be. So he ends up using his hoofs to tear paper and his sticky tongue to glue the paper to his artworks. Then all the animals start to leave their "trash" with Grant to use in his art.

"That's true, too," Coy said. "People leave their stuff at our door, especially old puzzles, since that's Grant's claim to fame."

Coy's picture book collection — which Manier illustrates — has grown to six books, as parents have reached out to ask her to portray their own children as Grant's animal friends. For example, there's "Tori Struggles to Read" about dyslexia, "Abigail, the Brave Little Llama" about childhood cancer and "Zoo Closed Until Further Notice" about the pandemic — all based on real-life children whose parents have contacted Coy. And, of course, there's also "Grant the Eco-Friendly Artist" to tell Grant the human's story.

A move to Wisconsin and a cancer diagnosis

When the COVID-19 pandemic started and prevented Coy and Manier from traveling to schools and art shows, they started doing their classes virtually. Realizing they could do their work from anywhere, they also took the opportunity to move from their home in Texas to Fond du Lac so Grant could work with Treffort Studios, where neurodivergent students are given instruction and tools to nurture their talents. The organization also works with Moraine Park Technical College, and Manier has enrolled in classes there to learn graphic design and animation.

Not long after they arrived in Wisconsin, Coy took Manier to the doctor to address a hacking cough he had developed. Shockingly, Manier was diagnosed with cancer — Stage 2 Hodgkin's lymphoma. Thankfully, the cancer was treatable and Manier immediately started chemotherapy.

"The irony is when we moved here, we just happened to get a house where a cancer center is practically in our back yard," Coy said. "Where we lived in Texas, we would have had to drive an-hour-and-a-half each way for Grant's treatment."

The cancer treatment made Manier too tired to do his classes, but he said the paper-tearing and art continued to be a way to soothe his anxieties. And his art followers continued to buy his work.

Looking toward the future and sharing positive messages

Now, having finished his cancer treatment and regained his strength, Manier is back at work going to shows, teaching art and attending his own classes.

He also had the opportunity to work with two corporate brands — designing a can for Goya Foods and filming a commercial for Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages, both of which focus on raising awareness for eco-art and autism.

Manier also hopes to use what he learns in his classes to someday develop his and his mom's books into a cartoon.

"I'd like to learn how animation is done," Manier said. "I'm hoping to be an actor or a voice actor or both, and also getting my degree in graphic design."

And, as always, he continues to focus on his art and to spread his message through speaking engagements, classes and art shows.

Manier said he always tries to leave his audiences with a message.

"I have two messages that I think are important to end with. First, be the change you want to see in the world," Manier said. "And then the other one I always say is, 'It's not what you can't do that makes you different; it's what you can do that makes the difference."

After pausing a second, Manier realized he still had something to say.

"And I've got one more: Autism does not define me. I define my autism my way, through my talents and skills."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin eco-artist teaches kids about autism with his classes