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Day after day, Frankie Ditman sits at the end of the bar at Broadkiln VFW in Milton twisting small shards of colored paper. He transforms the pastel strips into works of art – cards and wall hangings composed of intricate flowers.
Frankie’s life reached a crossroads following a horrific accident. No one could have predicted the road he chose would be one of an artist in the small town of Milton.
He works every day at the VFW - Studio B, as he calls it - as well as his home shop, Studio A, which is within eyesight of the VFW home. The VFW studio may be the most unusual artist’s studio in the United States. It’s composed of a bar stool, a shelf and an easel.
“It’s my second family there,” said the 58-year-old Vietnam veteran who also serves as sergeant at arms for the VFW.
Over the past five years, the self-taught artist has created more than 10,000 cards, all with paper flowers, and many have religious themes.
Although he sells some, he gives away most of his cards to support fundraisers. The Delaware VFW Ladies Auxiliary uses his cards as a statewide project to raise money for breast cancer research. Cards are sold at the Milton VFW to raise funds for various projects. He also donated cards embossed with the Milton bicentennial logo to help the town’s effort for next year’s big bash.
For his unselfish humanitarian efforts, he has been nominated for the Jefferson Award by WBOC-TV.
His work is sold in the most prestigious art museums in Baltimore and the biggest card shop in Washington, D.C. His story was recently featured in the pages of the Washington Post.
Yet, Frankie does not seek accolades and he does not want to sell his works on the internet, which would boost his sales. His small shop is inside the front door of his house. If people want to see his cards or wall hangings, they have to go to his house.
If Frankie never sold a card, it wouldn’t matter. His work means much more to him – more than most people could ever understand. It’s more than a hobby; more than a passion. His unique works of art are what keep him alive.
Life-changing accident
Did Frankie Ditman dream he would be twisting paper mums, daisies, and roses to create works of art? Not a chance.
The Vietnam War veteran was more in tune with the lifestyle of a hard-core biker than an artist.
But his life changed forever one day in 1999 when he ran his Harley-Davidson motorcycle under a tractor-trailer.
He lost his left leg up to the hip, and lost most of the use of his left hand because of the accident. After the accident, his life as a carpenter, the only life he had known, was over.
“I died a couple of times those first few days, but there is no need to talk about that,” he said.
He said he spent most of his first year following the accident in front of a television set. He doesn’t own one today. He said his life was at a crossroads and something as simple as paper strips showed him a path to recovery.
During a therapy session at Kernan Hospital in Baltimore, he moved from putty to working with paper strips. He said he found some paper in a trashcan and started making flowers. He was able to get other patients involved in creating paper art as well.
The only art prior to the accident that filtered into Frankie’s life was the ink art of the many tattoos adorning his body.
“It started as physical therapy for my hand, but now it’s become much more – it’s mental therapy as well,” he said. “It’s all about getting through the day.
“Passing time is what it’s all about,” he said. “When I’m twisting paper, time seems to go really fast. Sometimes I get busy and forget to eat.”
Twisting paper helps his mangled left hand, he said. “It’s hard to explain, but if I don’t twist paper everyday, my hand will knot up.”
His interest in flowers was cultivated at an early age. In junior high school he became interested in gardening and recently built, with help from members of the VFW, a greenhouse.
Inside the greenhouse are several rare plants including orchids.
He also is an active member of the Milton Garden Club and takes care of the garden in the patio at the new Irish Eyes restaurant in downtown Milton.
For the first year following his accident, Frankie was confined to a wheelchair. The Baltimore native lived with his sister in Baltimore until he was fitted with an artificial leg that was custom-designed by staff at the Veterans Administration. He said the state-of-the art leg cost $15,000. Although it helps him remain independent, he can’t wear it all day, and he still spends part of each day in a wheelchair.
Though he grew up in Baltimore, he decided a handicapped person could have a better quality of life in a small town than in the big city. He had worked construction jobs in the beach resort area for most of his life and was familiar with Milton – his new hometown.
He has tried to maintain some semblance of a normal life since the accident, including getting back on a motorcycle. He has a modified three-wheeled Harley-Davidson called a “trike” with special hand controls. He has given up his involvement with biker groups and prefers to ride solo enjoying the beauty of southern Delaware.
He said his daughter, Karla Pahel, is a constant source of inspiration. She and her two children are currently living with him in Milton.
Frankie is still getting used to his new life. “I had to learn to walk again and I still fall about three times a week,” he said. “And every night I have to get in the chair. That’s bad,” he said.
But when he is in the chair, he pulls up under his workshop bench and twists paper far into the night.
It takes him about an hour to create a card and as long as two weeks to create a custom wedding announcement adorned with paper flowers.
Frankie says he has to keep busy, and wishes that all handicapped people would find a passion in their lives.
“Wheelchair people need to get away from their TVs and computers and do something,” he said. “I know I couldn’t survive without twisting paper.”
He tells people who marvel at his cards that he is working out his frustration. “Can’t you see my frustration?” he asks. “I can’t do much of anything, so there is my frustration.”
“Frustration?” people ask. When people look at his cards, they see only beauty.
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