Don't tell Robert Hunt he can't see. In his mind, he can see everything.
Hunt, an 18-year-old sculptor from Pleasant Grove, lost his vision three years ago after he attempted suicide.Now, he sees nothing more clearly than the fact that he was given a second chance at life, a life he is determined to make a success, despite his disability.
"I would say that everyone has got their own disabilities in some way or in some particular area," Hunt said. "The only thing we can do is accept our disability and try to do the best we can with what we can do."
It will be three years this June since Hunt lost his sight from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. And now he is using skills he never knew he had.
"With depression and all of the things that teenagers face, he wasn't using his talents, and he turned to drugs and friends he shouldn't have who, in the end, deserted him," said Robert's mother, Debbie Hunt.
Robert Hunt began clay sculpting about 21/2 years ago and has completed more than 20 works, including a life-size bust of an Indian and several abstract pieces.
Although he does some work for his advanced placement art classes at American Fork High School, he completes most of his sculptures at home to help him relax.
And soon he will participate in his first-ever official art exhibit.
About 20 of his sculptures will be displayed at a multiartist exhibit in the Hutchings Museum in Lehi. The exhibit will begin May 5 and run through May 9.
Hunt has no qualms about sharing his work with strangers. In fact, Hunt said he wants to use his art to communicate with other young people. His art represents a tremendous success story.
Three years ago, Hunt was failing his classes and racing through life with reckless abandonment.
He didn't want to face his problems or even know his family, because all he could focus on was using drugs, his mother said.
"I just wish that a lot of these teenagers getting into all this trouble would realize what I realize now," he said. "I wish they would realize how great life is and that everyone gets depressed.
"It's OK to be depressed, but you've got to keep going and be thankful for what you have," he added.
Now, not only is Hunt closer to his family, he is also a respected artist.
Hunt has been offered scholarships to both Brigham Young University and the University of Utah and plans to study psychology or family therapy at one of the two schools.
Whatever becomes of her son, Debbie Hunt believes he is destined for success.
"It's been almost three years since he lost his sight, and he's already accomplished so much," she said. "He's just determined to make something out of his life."