Drawing Autism

Drawing Autism  is a book that celebrates the artistry and self-expression found in the drawings, paintings and collages created by individuals diagnosed with autism. The work of over 50 international contributors exhibits unique perspectives on how these individuals see the world and their places in it.

The author of the book, Jill Mullin, is a behavior analyst and educator.  Within the book, she has assembled a staggering array of work from both popular and unknown artists who fall under the autistic spectrum. Their creations, coupled with artist interviews, comprise a fascinating and compelling book that makes visual how autism manifests itself differently in every diagnosed individual.

Donna Williams, The Outsider

What was the inspiration for this piece?

"The Outsider" is about joining in from the periphery. It's about being able to join because one has retained the right to also leave. It's about treading the boundaries between two worlds. I think it's universal. We have all been the outsider.

An excerpt from the artist's answer to the question, "At what age did the act of creating art enter into your life?

I was deeply mesmerized with all things aesthetic and sensory from at least 6 months of age. Being meaning deaf, I saw musically. Being face blind, I was attuned to movement patterns. Being object blind and context blind, I'd tap everything to make noise, to hear its "voice," flick it to feel its movement, turn it to experience how it caught light, toss and drop and shred and snap and sprinkle grass, sand, twigs, leaves. I'd lick and run my hands and face over surfaces, wrap myself into fabrics. I'd align myself with symmetry and lines, mold myself into forms to feel their shape as them, stare at colors and lights and shapes trying to become one with them.

Felix: Imaginary City Map, Age 11

What was the inspiration for this piece

Generally I start drawing one street on different spots on the edge of my paper. I make the streets grow toward one another.

Who are some artists that you like?

None. I study road maps and atlases in detail and generally I scroll the full track of our trips on Google Earth.

Eleni Michael, Dancing with the Dog, 1995

What was the inspiration for this piece?

This was painted in 1995, not long after I had moved into a housing project for people with special needs. I was euphoric about my new home—a self-contained flat surrounded by a huge garden in a rural setting. (This idyll did not last long.) I brought my dog Jasper with me. He was the only lively animal there and brought great pleasure to me and all of the residents in the project. They loved him too and enjoyed playing with him and petting him. Jasper was a healthy presence and completely indiscriminate with friendships.

Wout Devolder, Werewolf (2008, at age 14)

What was the inspiration for this piece?

On May 8, 2008, my nephew Ben and my niece Sanne died in a fire. I was very sad and desperate. Because I didn't have words to express my despair, I drew this werewolf. I dedicate my drawing to Ben and Sanne.

Josh Peddle, Changing Seasons, 2006 (at age 12)

Do you think your art helps others understand how you view the world?

It feels weird when you have autism. I feel silly. It makes me sad thinking about it. People do not understand. Strangers cannot tell by looking at me that I have autism. If I am having trouble, they often want to tell my mom how I should behave. I wish I had more friends that liked me for who I am.

Jessica Park: The Mark Twain House with the Diamond Eclipse and Venus, 1999

Vehdas Rangan: A. (India)

Shawn Belanger, Stone House, 2007

Shawn's mother: The intensity that Shawn draws with is amazing. There is a look of concentration on his face that is intense, one gets the feeling that for that period of time the world ceases to exist.

David Barth, Vogels ("Birds" in Dutch), 2008 (at age 10)

from an email from David's mother to Jill Mullen:

His drawings often represent his current obsessions. In the attachment I send you, it's not hard to guess what's keeping him busy right now. There are almost 400 birds on it and he knows the names and Latin names of most of them.

D. J. Svoboda, Big Field Friends

How do you choose your subjects?

I always think of each Imagifriend and I write a name and story about each one. It all comes from my imagination.