A fall-themed Snoopy jazz playlist hums throughout the art studio, rising just above the soft scratching of brushes on canvas. One person uses purple paint to carefully outline Squidward, his fourth SpongeBob-themed painting. Another artist prefers to paint airplanes, having previously worked at the airport.

Ron Ansley’s specialty is abstract paintings, often inspired by Tiggy, his cat who passed away. Today, he’s using oil pastels to outline an illustration of plates and cups sprouting cactuses.

“Making art is what I call a relaxation stress breaker,” Ansley said. “Mostly, I just like to express myself in painting.”

Ansley, 64, has autism and several physical disabilities, including deep vein thrombosis and cataracts. Since 2019, he’s been attending art classes three days a week at The

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