Jo and AJ Brockman

Haile Shaw & Pfaffenberger and Northern Trust served as official co-hosts of a reception and art exhibit featuring the work of award-winning artist and Palm Beach Gardens native AJ Brockman.

More than 125 guests attended the event at Northern Trust in North Palm Beach. "Invest in Your Ability" was the name of the art exhibit and included the unveiling of three new paintings by the artist. They are: Jupiter’s Jewel (the Jupiter Lighthouse), Reel Relaxin (a row of boats at the ready) and Secret Spot (a serene setting sun from the shore).

Twenty-four-year-old Brockman is a digital artist and designer. He also has SMA (spinal muscular atrophy), a progressive neuromuscular disease and has been in a wheelchair since the age of 2. This disease allows him movement of his facial muscles and three fingers on his left hand. With the aid of software that replicates traditional painting, typesetting and layout, and an unwavering passion for art and design, Brockman creates his distinctive digital paintings using a technique that is a hybrid of impressionism and realism. While many of his pieces reflect the ocean, landscapes and beachside lifestyle, he also paints portraits of individuals, families and friends, and those of the four-legged variety. One of his most recent projects is a portrait of the First Family, complete with the family dog. On Oct. 23, 2012, he personally delivered the painting to President Barack Obama during a campaign rally in Delray Beach.

AJ describes himself as "differently abled" rather than "disabled" and received a bachelor's degree from Digital Media Arts College. His place of business is named Single Handed Studio.

Guests at the reception had the opportunity to learn about Brockman's newest project -- the creation of No White Flags Production, a company that has a goal of creating documentaries about those who rise above the circumstances of their disabilities to make the world a better place. The first documentary, Differently Abled, will be about Brockman.