First of all, I’d like to thank my good friend M, for the definition of the type of work I have been doing these past couple days (Back to Abstract?, Variation). Thank you M! You may see one of M’s (many) wonderful blogs at: http://ishaiyafreshlysqueezed.com

Recent paintings

The type of painting I have been producing recently are abstract expressionist  works. At the beginning of December, I changed the emphasis of this blog from autism, from my perspective of a sibling, to focus on how I can better express myself in a visual way. Many siblings feel an obligation to help care for their autistic brothers or sisters and think, or are told, that they must put their own feelings aside. An artistic outlet might inspire a sibling to express strong emotions in an environment where he or she feels safe.

The most significant issue in dealing with my autistic brother is my total lack of understanding of him. He is profoundly retarded and nonverbal in addition to being autistic. The idea of an impermeable barrier between us was a metaphor I had often imagined. I incorporated this into my recent studies (Back to Abstract?, Variation).

Groundwork

Before I started abstractly expressing myself, I thought for a long time about using icons, or symbols in my artwork. Primarily, my inspiration came from the artwork of Paul Klee and Joan Miró. I found that some of the symbols meaningful to me centered around the physical senses: sight, sound, smell, vision and touch.  I played around with the idea of synesthesia, a condition where the synesthete automatically pairs one sense with another. For instance, if a person sees the number ‘7’, he or she might hear a middle ‘C’ tone. This inspired a watercolor or two.

Today’s study

In today’s study, I divided the paper into two sections, using my usual double line as the barrier. I used the portrait format. The top half is mostly black and white with two exceptions. The bottom uses color.

I hesitate to explain my narrative for this piece, since I am interested in how others interpret it. In fact, as an incentive for comments, I will forego any further explanation. I hope that some of you will comment as to what this study means to you.

Today’s study:

Study for 1-10-14
7″x10″ 140# Rough Watercolor Paper