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 325


The Cougars, 24 x 36", 2009
 graphite, colored pencil, crayon, permanent marker on paper

The Historic F Outboard Raceboat Equipment of the 1950s-1970s Southern-To-Pacific Coast
US Regions, 24 x 48", 2006, graphite, colored pencil, crayon, permanent marker on paper

For the next couple of weeks we're going to feature different artists with autism from the book Artism. This work was done by artist Gregory Blackstock from Seattle. He uses ink, pencil, markers, and crayons to create works of repetition. Along with art he also plays the accordion, piano, and organ; has a great memory; and speaks many languages. He is represented by the Garde Rail Gallery in Seattle and has his own book, Blackstock's Collections. To see more drawings, check out Garde Rail Gallery.

Video: King 5 Evening Magazine, Sept. 29, 2011
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