Siblings Tammy and Isaac Lau have decidedly different ways of following their artistic impulses, each process perfectly suited for the way they engage the world.

Tammy, 32, uses watercolors to re-create the beauty she sees around her, from peaceful beach-scapes to blazing heliconia to whales frozen in dramatic breach.

"I get inspired by what I see," she says. "Sometimes I see the image in my head first."

Isaac, 31, creates in the moment, using a Saori loom to weave intricate patterns for which there is no preconceived design.

"You can weave anything and it will be right," Isaac says. "It’s like life: There are different kinds of people who speak different languages and come from different backgrounds, but we can all come together in a beautiful way."

Art is just one window to the rich lives that Tammy and Isaac enjoy. Both are bright, engaging, fun to be around. Both have special talents and a wide variety of interests.

Sadly, both understand what it’s like to be overlooked and underestimated.

"People see the wheelchair but not the person in it," Tammy says. "They see the outside, not what’s inside."

Both siblings developed cerebellar ataxia (inability to control muscle movement) and cataracts shortly after birth.

For parents JoAnn and Norrin Lau, raising two children with such daunting disabilities was a supreme test of spirit.

"It was a whole new world for us," says JoAnn. "I felt really down at first. I wondered why Heavenly Father was doing this to us. But my sister reminded me that God gave us these special spirits for a reason, so we had to suck it up."

To be sure, the family’s Mormon faith has provided reassurance that perseverance would one day be rewarded. Both siblings say they look foward to an afterlife in which they will be given perfected physical bodies. In the meantime they make the most of what they have.

Tammy sells greeting cards featuring her art and works part time as a cashier for Otsuji Farms.

Isaac has leveraged his talent for acquiring languages into a gig as a teaching assistant at Kapiolani Community College. He speaks Japanese, Korean and Mandarin and is proficient in American Sign Language.

"I love to meet new people," he says. "Maybe that’s why I’m good at languages. There’s no excuse not to talk to me!"

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@staradvertiser.com.