I began a photographic/journalistic record of my efforts to define my relationship with Mike, my older brother. This might sound odd to those of you just joining me on my blog, but Mike is autistic, low functioning and has never spoken. I never knew for sure if he knew that I was his brother. There […]
Today’s watercolor experiment: I started today’s experiment with latex resist. The idea in mind was a reverse portrait with the features in white and the background, a dark color. Then it occurred to me that I could keep the face I drew in latex and superimpose another face with paint. I painted a stylized nose […]
Today’s watercolor experiment: I’m back at home, in my comfy studio. My visit to the Norton Simon Museum is still fresh in my mind. I wanted to paint another portrait in a different manner than I have previously. I did use the same technique: A line for the nose, one for the mouth and two […]
I began this blog in January, 2013 with a mission to reveal my experience as the younger brother of a severely handicapped individual. Mike is autistic, very low functioning and has never spoken. I began photographing Mike on his 40th birthday in 1989. Today’s post is the first in a recapitulation of those photographs. I […]
Today’s watercolor experiment: I visited the Norton Simon Museum today. What a treat to see Van Goghs, Cezannes, Degas, Klees, Kandinskys, Matisses and works of other legendary artists in person! I was hoping to see a Jawlensky portrait on display, but there was only one landscape of his on display. It was still wonderful to […]
Below is the eighteenth group of watercolors that I painted for earlier posts in this blog. The paintings below depict the life cycle of a dragonfruit, a subset of my ‘fruit period’. Originally posted on March 20, 2014 (Single Dragonfruit): Originally posted on March 23, 2014 (Dragonfruit Unchained): Originally posted on March 25, 2014 (Dragonfruitus Resumptus): Originally posted […]
Today’s watercolor experiment: Today I worked from my imagination. I know that I have my grandson William’s features in my head. I tried to lay them out with watercolors. I need a better interface between my head and my hands, it seems. I did not intend the pencil marks to indicate a beard, although that is […]
Below is the seventeenth group of watercolors that I painted for earlier posts in this blog. The paintings below are still lifes (still lives?). I painted these in my ‘fruit period’. Originally posted on March 22, 2014 (Not Done with Symmetry Yet): Originally posted on March 27, 2014 (Moving On): Originally posted on April 2, 2014 (Kiwi […]
Today’s experiment: I have the wonderful opportunity to practice drawing and painting my grandson in his presence! I am not used to drawing from life, relying instead on photographs. It is quite a different experience. William is always in motion. As I am just getting the correct contour of his forehead in profile, he faces […]
Below is the sixteenth group of watercolors that I painted for earlier posts in this blog. The paintings below are about gesture and hands, particularly as regards my low functioning, autistic and nonverbal brother, Mike. Please see the original posts for the back story and inspiration of each painting. Originally posted on February 21, 2014 (Holding Hand). This is […]
