KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Theo Davis has a passion for telling stories through art.
"It just brings me so much joy and so much comfort to be able to take a canvas and turn it into something beautiful that was not present in our world before," Davis said.
And when you see his artwork, you'll quickly see how much Kansas City love is shown.
"I love our city," Davis said. "I think every aspect of our city: North, South, East, West, is just brimming with joy and excitement."
His art hopes to bring connection to the city he loves.
"It's storybook style. It's not perfect, it's messy, it's painting outside the line," Davis said. "I think all of us remember having story books read to us as kids. Storybooks read to us by our parents and our teachers, and so to be able to capture Kansas City in this style, I think people just connect with it on an emotional level and it just brings them lots of joy
His storybook artwork got the attention of Hallmark, in what at first, felt like a fairy tale.
"My initial thought was like, this is a scam, this 100 percent a scam, this is not actually from Hallmark," Davis said. "But after some back and forth, I realized that, 'oh my gosh, Hallmark wants my stuff!'"
When he and his wife saw his artwork for the first time in the store, it was a feeling of shock and awe.
"That's all I can really say about it, shock and awe. When I peak over and in the Hallmark store, I can see my artwork on display. It just was like a dream come true," Davis said. "It was one of the best days of my life."
It was also his chance to reach a larger audience and a share a part of who he is.
Davis was diagnosed with autism two years ago.
"All of my life, I've felt out of place. I felt like I was behind or something wasn't clicking for me and I always beat myself up about that because I'd think what's wrong with me, what's wrong with me," Davis said. "And so to get this autism diagnosis suddenly like, all the pieces, for the first time in my 40 years of living, all falls into place, and I'm like oh my gosh, I'm not broken, I'm just different."
Davis says he doesn't hide his diagnosis, he embraces it, not only for himself, but for his family.
"And then to find out my son was autistic, I had a decision to make," Davis said. "Do I keep it just to myself and try and mask, or do I put it out there and show him, we as people with autism, it's okay for us to be a little bit different to enjoy things different ways, to to think differently and to not be ashamed of our neurodivergence."
And making sure his story, outside the lines, is just as beautiful and memorable.
"I've been really intentional of trying to lead for my son that just because we have autism, doesn't mean we can't thrive in things we're passionate about," Davis said. "So I hope if you see my art, or pick up my artwork, that it just brings you a little bit of joy and reminds you of your childhood."
You can check out his artwork on the second floor of Crown Center inside the Hallmark store. He also has other locations where his art is sold: The Painted Tree at Barrywoods Crossing in the Northland of Kansas City, The Painted Tree in Overland Park and Queen Bee Boutiques in Blue Springs, Missouri.
Davis also has a Kansas City Art Mail Club for those interested in his artwork. It is $8 a month.
Each month, he works on a piece of art and will mail out prints on a 7x5 signed watercolor print of a popular Kansas City location. There's also a chance to be gifted the original piece of art.
To learn more about Davis' work, you can check out TheoDavisArt on social media.
