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.

Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts

Day 355



Found this in the archives. Kelt wrote this letter to our sister Kenzi when he was 9.

Day 307





Today is the opening for the show More is More at the Lexington Art League in Lexington, KY. The show features 58 artists from 27 states, which includes four drawings from the blog! A few of months ago Kelt and I were chosen from over 1,200 entries! We're honored and can't wait to see the final results.

Drawings in the show: Day 3, 46, 100, 145
More pictures on LAL's Facebook.

Day 306


I recently came across Pure Vision Arts, which is a studio/gallery in Manhattan for artists with autism and other types of disabilities. I wish this studio was closer because a program like this would be perfect for Kelt. Someday Kelt and I would like to open a studio like PVA and Creative Growth for adults with disabilities. Below are a few examples of the work that is represented by the gallery.

Barry Kahn, Untitled 5, Mixed Media on Paper, 2008

Walter Mika, Obama, Oil Pastel on Paper, 2009

ItalicSusan Brown, Her Family, Mixed Media on Canvas, 2010
Brown was recently published in the book Artism: The Art of Autism

Day 301






Today we saw the new Harry Potter. Kelt's been wanting to dress up since the 6th movie (2009), but we decided to wait until the last one. He was Draco; I was Lucius; Kenzi was Potter; and Camden was Dumbledore. Besides a few children, we were the only ones dressed. Kelt was really excited and told everyone about our costumes at the theatre.

Day 300!



This is our dog Babe. Kelt picked the name because he thought she looked like the pig. Even though he gets close to her face, holds her incorrectly, and is too rough, she's never snapped at him. Corgis are great dogs and seem to do well with people with autism.

Day 298


I was going through some of old photos and came across these. This is my first autism series that I did for a class several years ago. Each photo represents a typical characteristic. (gelatin silver prints)

Difficulty with expressive language. (Water in sign language.)

Sensory outlet

Need for repetition and order. (See Day 212 for a similar image.)

Fascination with water and bubbles.

Day 251



This weekend Keychain A Day is being displayed at Ver(a)rt Gallery in Seattle! We finished installing last night. If you're in the area, it's at the Seattle Center: 305 Harrison Avenue. The closing reception is Monday 6-8 pm.

Day 241

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Day 240

Monday, May 16, 2011


Austin Powers: blind contour drawing of 1/156 of Kelt's bobble heads.

These drawings are blind except when I briefly look at the paper to set the pen. This series represents Kelt's uninhibited drawing style and enhanced visual skills. To view more, click the bobble head label to the right.

Day 239

Sunday, May 15, 2011