In 1998 my youngest brother, Kelton, was diagnosed with autism, a developmental disability that affects communication and social interaction. Autism currently affects 1/88 people in the United States. Kelton is a talented individual who runs cross-country and track, wrestles, plays the drums, loves history, and collects bobble heads and keychains.

This year Kelton decided to enroll in his first art class where he discovered his skill for drawing. His unorthodox style made me reconsider my artwork and examine the differences and similarities that exist between our perspectives. According to Paul Collins’ Not Even Wrong: Adventures in Autism, artists are four times more likely to have autism in their families. Considering the number of artists in my family, this statistic made me question the similarities that exist between Kelton and me. For this reason, we have decided to draw one of his 6,481 keychains a day for one year. These drawings will be as simple and uninhibited as possible. This project will explore our individual perspectives and examine the similarities that exist between us as artists.

Day 157


Today I went to a reading by Jim Lynch for the book Border Songs. This story was interesting because it took place in Blaine and talked about the border, but also because the main character had autism. Lynch recently read Temple Grandin’s Thinking in Pictures and was fascinated by the idea of a visual perspective compared to one steered by language. To fit the story he needed a character that was observant and diligent, which emulate the unique perspective and characteristics of a person with autism. I enjoyed his appreciation for an alternative way of thinking and seeing the world.



A few pieces from my BFA show that reference Andy Warhol, which also portray autism and the gift of a unique perspective. (see day 61)
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