Tag Archives: Autistic Savant Artist

2016 “Soul Walking” Calendar by Autistic Savant Artist Michael Tolleson

Calendar by Autistic Savant Artist Michael Tolleson
Calendar by Autistic Savant Artist Michael Tolleson

Examining my ability to paint; every stroke is instinctual since I have no training, and I rely on the use of the huge amount of stored information my Aspergers mind has observed and retained. Each painting a now create, regardless of size, is painted in less than 1 hour. When photographed during the process of creating a finished piece of artwork, my hand appears as a blur due to the movement of my hand and quickness of the application of paint to the canvas. This is the genius of a mind with Aspergers. In many ways I feel possessed during the actual act of painting, and I am reluctant to take credit for the finished work resting on the easel when I am done. What I do know is that the exploration of using a palette knife last year released me, and my use of brushes has now become less calculated and exact which allows the results to be much more impressionistic. I can now freely use both a palette knife and a brush while painting to get the desired results. The finished outcome is always a surprise to me.

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