This is one of many portraits I made of my brother Michael. It is a double portrait of Mike and me. I began two portraits with free-form curves and lines, inspired by Miró’s Constellation Series, a remarkable set of seemingly free-form works, filled with icons and fantastic creatures. I included ovals for two faces and the icons […]
Having a low functioning autistic brother unleashes all kinds of emotions not the least of which is frustration and grief for the possibility of meaningful two-way communication. This is an abstract portrait trying to make grief visible. A matted print of this watercolor is available at my Etsy shop: AutismInspiredArt.
This is a dream: a free form, autism inspired, abstract portrait that incorporates some features of my autistic brother. On a saturated color, yellow-to-orange gradient, the subject seems to be in repose and could be dreaming. This watercolor is available as a matted print on 140# acid-free paper, at my Etsy shop, AutismInspiredArt.
This portrait shows the mystery behind each face. Autistic people don’t have masks, however a mystery persists. A print of this watercolor is available on my Etsy shop: AutismInspiredArt.
Taken from a frame of an old 8mm home movie, this is a portrait of my older brother Mike. His autism, low ability to function and being non-verbal were noticeable by then (late 1950s). Mike lived at home until I was about 10 years old. He had a great affect on my life and my […]
This is an autism-inspired abstract portrait of the divided attention I was always trying to get from my autistic brother. During most of the time I spent with Mike I felt there was an unbridgeable gap between us. I often tried to engage him, but it was very difficult to get his attention. I painted […]
This is a cartoonish representation of the love of a brother for his autistic sibling. I tried to depict a push-pull relationship between these siblings, which it certainly can exist when there is a communication gap that cannot be crossed
I always hoped to get my brother Mike’s attention. Mike was autistic, low functioning and nonverbal; his attention was devoted to meeting his own needs. Now and then, I would see his eye looking at me. It seemed that Mike’s attention to others was the same as a lighthouse beam: paying brief attention to a […]
I painted this image from a photograph of a frozen frame of an old 8mm family movie, converted to video tape. The transformations of media that portray this moment (from real life to 8mm movie film, to videotape, to a flickering TV screen, to a photograph and finally to watercolor), illustrated how memory can change […]
Kagamusha, Shadow Warrior is a film by Akira Kurosawa. I think of siblings of autistic individuals (like me) as shadow warriors. Typically, the autism family dynamic is centered on the autistic family member. It is difficult for everyone but the sibling carries a heavy burden. My Etsy Shop is called AutismInspiredArt, where Kagamusha is available […]
