“Control”

Description

“Control” is a piece from the Coloring Outside the Lines Collection: A mother’s tale of raising a son with autism through art.

When creating this piece, I wanted to express the fight within myself of wanting my son to be accepted for who he is and protect him from the world even though subconsciously, I know I have no control over anyone. Much less, the entire world! Yet I believed fully that if I planned for things far in advance, everything would be perfect for him.

Of course, this is impossible and to convince ourselves otherwise is the illusion of control that we create for ourselves. We may think we can control what happens in our life but the truth is, we only control ourselves and for many with autism, they are unable to even do that.

As you look at this painting in sections, you can see journal writings and images and each element has been created with intention and for a purpose. However, step away from the painting and look at it as a whole and you will see more chaos than control.