My Autistic Son Speaks in Colours
Sebastien's painting-in-progress
*A Mother’s Wish blog contains a treasure trove of insights. We have deliberately not created a paywall for our mission to share accurate insights about the inner lives of autistic individuals to everyone. But we would be most grateful for an SGD10 payment of love and support if you feel you have benefited and are in a position to help us continue our mission. A new digital photograph of Sebastien's artwork is available each time we upload a new post.
This is Episode 3 of A Mother's Wish's endeavour to share more about our approach: EpiEco (Autistic Individual as the EPIcentre of the ECO.
We live in a world where talking and writing in words are what count as communication. At the same time, we know how words and phrases, even something as basic as responding "Fine" to another's "How are you?", can often camouflage the truth.
Yet words are considered to be superior to how Sebastien, my non-verbal autistic son, communicates. One of the key ways Sebastien expresses how he truly feels inside is through his paintings — an extension of how he communicates his inner life with his body. Sebastien's painting experience is an artistic sanctuary where he uses his arms and hands to confront and grapple with his torrent of emotions within a semi-structured yet imaginative universe of swirling paint and water intermingling organically, treading the fine line of control and unpredictability. This delicate balance, one can say, is what helps each one of us, not just Sebastien, to navigate through the unpredictability of life.
Sebastien painting with a brush and a roller.
Sebastien's paintings don't lie.
Sebastien’s paintings don’t lie. They don't just say "Fine" to the question of "How are you?" They are a transmutation of Sebastien's truth about living in a world where few can see what he can see, hear what he can hear, and sense what he can sense. It is what makes his life challenging and lonely because no one else can truly relate to his experience of the world.
Through EpiEco, we treat Sebastien with all the compassion we can summon. Even when we have to put in 100% (and of course, we will inevitable come up short), it won't still be remotely enough to assuage his difficulties in this life. The only way we can truly relate is if we fell asleep and woke up one day in a world surrounded by non-verbal autistics judging us for being too chatty (perhaps).
I wonder if we could come up with a means of expression that is as creative and imaginative as speaking in colours!
If you would like to contribute to Sebastien's future and support A Mother's Wish, consider purchasing one of his watercolour paintings (see sample below). Due to various logistical issues, we can fulfil orders for the watercolour paintings in Singapore from November 7 to November 9 and arrange delivery to your homes in November.
(1) Map of a Road Less Travelled (36x28 cm) (2) Journey of My Thoughts (31x23 cm) (3) Bali Home (15x46cm) [Price range of SGD150 onwards]
Those interested in Sebastien's acrylic paintings on stretched canvas (see below) — his latest works (dimensions of 30 x 50 cm, 40 x 40 cm, ranging in price from SGD450 to SGD450 ), stay tuned for the next post in early December. They will be exclusively available for purchase directly from A Mother's Wish in December, with paintings to be delivered in January 2025 in Singapore.
Thank You in Advance for Your Support!
