How a Parkinson鈥檚 diagnosis took a Denver artist鈥檚 work in new directions

In The NoCo

How a Parkinson鈥檚 diagnosis took a Denver artist鈥檚 work in new directions

By In The NoCo,

Ariel Lavery, Erin O'Toole, Brad Turner

Published December 11, 2024 at 5:35 AM MST

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A painting titled "seventy one" by Denver artist Tim McKay shows geometric patterns like crossed lines, a spiral and a triangle in various colors. A small spill of pink paint has been left in the bottom right corner. — After being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, Denver artist Tim McKay is documenting his journey in a series of works called "One to Somewhere." Painting Seventy One shows a spill of pink paint in the corner that he left in intentionally. "I had finished it, I was actually picking up the pencil to sign it and date it, and I knocked over a container of pink paint right onto the painting, and it obliterated a corner of it," McKay said. "And I sat back and I said, 'perfect' 鈥� because that's who I am today, and that needs to be seen in the work."

is a Denver artist who fills colorful, sprawling canvases . His paintings can span 12 feet or larger.

But a year ago, a diagnosis threatened to disrupt his career. Doctors told him he had Parkinson鈥� s disease 鈥� a condition that would slowly take away his ability to use his muscles.

Courtesy of Tim McKay

鈥淭here鈥檚 an initial shock and then a stepping back and saying, 鈥榃ell, now. How is this going to change my life?鈥欌€� he said.

McKay responded by making art that reflects how the disease is changing his ability to paint. He started painting on smaller canvases, which require less energy and mobility than his larger pieces. And in some cases, when he had a clumsy moment as he was painting, he left evidence of those mistakes in the work.

He spoke with ITN鈥檚 Erin O鈥橳oole about how Parkinson鈥檚 has changed his work 鈥� and the process of documenting his journey through this project, called .

Tim McKay鈥檚 paintings are in Lakewood through Sunday, December 15.

A painting titled "Santa Monica" by Denver-based artist Tim McKay uses broad strokes of paint to depict a beach, with small lifeguard towers on it. — "Santa Monica"

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In The NoCo

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.

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Ariel Lavery

Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University鈥檚 NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family鈥檚 financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.

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Erin O'Toole

As the host of KUNC鈥檚 new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.

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Brad Turner

Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS 暗黑爆料hour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.

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