{"id":2791,"date":"2026-07-03T22:34:37","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T22:34:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=2791"},"modified":"2026-07-03T22:34:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T22:34:37","slug":"valley-man-with-parkinsons-paints-50-capitols-for-americas-250th-birthday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=2791","title":{"rendered":"Valley man with Parkinson’s paints 50 capitols for America’s 250th birthday"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

PHOENIX \u2014 Most people celebrate America’s 250th birthday with fireworks and flags.<\/p>

Read more Nat\u2019l Crown Day celebrates Black hair independence and the ongoing fight against discrimination<\/a><\/p>

A Valley man is doing it with a paintbrush.<\/p>

At 78 years old, Mark Hurst is living with Parkinson’s disease, but he refuses to let the diagnosis define what he can accomplish. Over the past several weeks, the longtime artist completed an ambitious project: watercolor paintings of all 50 state capitol buildings in honor of the nation’s 250th birthday.<\/p>\n

For Mark, painting is more than a hobby. It’s therapy. Its expression. And it’s a daily reminder that Parkinson’s may change parts of life, but it doesn’t get to write the whole story.<\/p>

While many people hear the word Parkinson’s and immediately focus on limitations, Mark hopes his journey encourages others to focus on possibilities. <\/p>

Read more St. Vincent de Paul looking to feed hungry kids and their families through donations<\/a><\/p>

Even more inspiring, Mark plans to auction off the entire collection and donate the proceeds to Parkinson’s research, turning his passion into a way to help others facing the same diagnosis.<\/p>

It’s a heartwarming story about resilience, purpose, patriotism, and a Valley artist proving that some of life’s most meaningful work can happen after the toughest challenges begin.<\/p>

Follow him @painting.with.par on TikTok. <\/p>

In the video player above, ABC15’s Cameron Polom tours his collection of all 50 Capitol paintings, learns how art helps him navigate the challenges of the disease, and hears the mindset that keeps him moving forward.<\/i><\/p>

Read more The Plane Truth: 2025 had the worst airline on-time performance since 2014<\/a><\/p>

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Refusing to let Parkinson’s disease define his limits, a Valley man painted all 50 state capitols for America’s 250th birthday and is auctioning the artwork to help others facing the same diagnosis.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2788,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uplifting-arizona"],"yoast_head":"\nValley man with Parkinson's paints 50 capitols for America's 250th birthday - Arizona Moving Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=2791\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Valley man with Parkinson's paints 50 capitols for America's 250th birthday - 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