I just completed this colorful pastel drawing yesterday. (May 2016) I was raised in a very strict religious home. I was also born with high functioning autism, and being artistic I was somewhat “out there”. This drove my mother crazy. She was always trying to make me fit a certain mold that she thought I should fit into. I also got lots of flak, bullying, and teasing from teachers and classmates. I believe that our world tried to make us fit into a certain mold. That is why I made all the small mini paintings within this painting to fit into a checkerboard pattern. It shows how each person is an individual, yet there are constraints on us imposed by family, religion, society. However, this can be confining, and keep us small. At some point, it really helps to BREAK OUT of the mold people tried to force us into.
I had great fun doing this. I drew this on a large sheet of Sennelier La Carte pastel board in the color sienna. I started out making a grid of 1 inch squares on it. I used hard Nupastels and pastel pencils. I started making a small abstract mini painting in every other square. I just went with the flow on this one, and was very spontaneous. After I was almost halfway done, I decided to BREAK OUT, and very gesturally painted the large element on the lower left side. Freedom to be me feels GOOD. God made me with high functioning autism, and that is exactly how I’m supposed to be. Certain others who can’t or won’t accept me – that is their problem and their hangup.
Here is the listing on my etsy store.

Exactly! Love this post! and your painting, it conveys that message of “breaking out” so well. 🙂
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