Several days ago I mentioned the work of Wilhelm His, who modeled the neural tube after a flexible rubber tube. He noted that a rubber tube could be manipulated into forms that resembled the neural tube of the chick embryo, at various stages by pulling strings attached to certain places on the rubber tube. The […]
The early days Ever since I was a kid I didn’t really ‘get’ parties. I was very shy and did not really know what to do. I’m sure this is not uncommon and probably is very common among siblings of low-functioning autistic and other severely handicapped individuals. My parents were pretty busy with my older […]
I’ve been having the hardest time trying to understand Cézanne’s composition. I bought Cézanne’s Composition by Erle Loran, which seems to cover exactly what I want to know. There are a couple of problems right off the bat: the book itself is an odd shape – 12″x9″, which isn’t a bad format for a painting, by a bit […]
Today’s watercolor experiment: I painted the view from the back yard again. Today’s rendition is very similar to yesterday’s: same composition and mostly same color schema. I painted the front railing a warmer color, to bring it closer to the viewer. Also, painted red within the foliage of the fig tree (on the right). I […]
I started blogging in order to share some of my experiences as the brother of a severely autistic, low functioning and nonverbal person. I grew up in a time where little was known about autism and there was very little support available in the community for autistic individuals, their siblings or their parents. I was […]
I’m taking a break from family portraits (see Once More with Feeling, Family, Holding Hand). Although I’m not one to forego repetition, now and then a change of pace is welcome. Today’s experiment: I mentioned in another post that I like to go on the porch and read in the morning. There is a big […]
Today’s Watercolor Experiment: Once again, I return to the photographs of our last visit to see Mike at his geriatric group home, in November 2013. Mike is my older brother who is autistic, low functioning and nonverbal. My mother and younger brother also came along. On the surface, I was not expecting any recognition from […]
Today’s watercolor experiment: I took my own advice from yesterday, and stayed with a portrait of a single figure. The subject of today’s portrait is none other than my older brother Mike. For those of you who have been following my blog, Mike is autistic, low functioning and has never spoken. I have taken many photographs […]
It is father’s day as I write this post. I had a call from one daughter and a text from the other. I can’t tell you how much that means to me, especially since I have no children of my own. I’ve always been sensitive about being a step father (one of those identity-shifty things, […]
I often read in the morning when I get up. At this time of year, it gets very hot at mid-day, but it is nice to go out on the porch at 7:30 or 8:00, look at the birds, drink my coffee and read. Yesterday, in addition to watching the birds, I had a real […]
