The next step in my process of abstracting the emotions from an early photograph of Mike and Mom (see yesterday’s post), is to paint with a broad brush (literally). For me, the salient features in the original photograph my brother’s eye and my mother’s smile. Mike is probably about 12 years old here. Mike is my […]
I was thumbing through my (unpublished) book about my early life with my older brother Mike. He is autistic, low functioning and has never spoken. When he was still at home, we used to go camping. My father must have taken this picture of Mom holding Mike. One can tell there is something amiss. Perhaps, […]
I continue with my portrait series of my brother Mike, below. (Mike is autistic, low functioning and nonverbal.) See yesterday’s post (Evolution of a Portrait Series) for the process I underwent to arrive at today’s watercolor/charcoal sketch. Mike often held his hand to his ear. He held his hand in a position in which his pinky jutted […]
Mike, my older brother, is autistic, low functioning and nonverbal. The last visit with brother Mike was in 2013 (see The Visit, Note – this post may contain triggers as I was very distraught when I wrote it; no disrespect was intended.) Below is one of the last photos I took of Mike: This is a […]
I was thinking about the walk that I went on years ago, with my parents and Mike, my older brother. I took many photographs that day. In a couple of them it seems that I recorded a human connection. I cherish those instants in time, but I really wish I could have more of them […]
I’m reading a really interesting new book. I tweeted a review of it from the Washington Post (see @bruddajack, August 26) and bought it yesterday. It reads like a hot knife through butter. The name of the book is Patient H.M. by Luke Dittrich. H.M. suffered from epileptic seizures after an accident in childhood. About […]
I’m beginning to relax a bit with my painting. Instead of trying to paint like Joan Miró, I am concentrating on my own iconography (see Narrative or Portrayal of Feelings?, Little Thought Experiment, Simplify, Beginning of an Iconography?). My younger brother is a wonderful musician. He is working on a Rachmaninoff piece, and told me […]
Caregiving is hard work. I saw it first hand when I was growing up with my older brother Mike. He is autistic, low functioning and nonverbal. He needed help with everything and had to be watched constantly. If you weren’t careful, he would take the food from your plate. However, there is a difference between […]
I originally started this blog in 2013 to record my experiences trying to reach my severely handicapped older brother, with the hope other siblings might know they are not alone with their mixed feelings. My brother Mike, as many of you already know, is very low functioning, autistic and nonverbal. I refer you, dear reader, to several […]
My sketch below is an abstract portrait of my older brother Michael. Mike is autistic, very low functioning and nonverbal. My eye is peering at him, as I have my whole life, trying to understand. Several of my earlier posts might better explain (or at least elaborate upon) my lifelong obsession with Mike. As one […]
