Synesthetic Galaxy isn't just a portrait; it's a visual journey into my mind—a literal diagram of my thought processing and sensory experience as a person with Asperger's Syndrome.
The title is the key to understanding what you are seeing.
The term 'Synesthetic' refers to the cross-sensory experience where thoughts, sounds, or intense emotions translate directly into colour and visual forms. My mind is constantly perceiving sound, experiencing colour, and sensing patterns.
The 'Galaxy' speaks to the sheer scale. It represents the vast, complex, and boundless internal space of my consciousness—a perpetually active mind that generates and processes a massive amount of information simultaneously.
In short, the painting visualises a mind that operates at a scale and intensity that is often overwhelming.
The painting is built around a dramatic contrast, which is a core reality of the neurodivergent experience: the tension between the inner and outer self.
The Mask (The Exterior): Examine the figure's body, rendered in a dark, navy blue tone. It's a reserved, stable pose. This represents the social mask—the calm, composed exterior that I consciously present to the world. It is the vessel that holds everything in.
The Eruption (The Interior): Now, examine the head. It is literally dissolving, exploding into a vortex of vibrant colour and chaotic energy. This is the sensory reality. It visually translates the state of overload and intense cognitive activity. The high-chroma, clashing colours—the electric greens, the fiery reds, the cool blues—are the visual representation of that relentless sensory bombardment and the non-stop, intense analysis occurring within my mind.
The image shows the effort required to stand still. The stability of the body is fighting to contain the immense power of the mind.
The way I painted this is not accidental; it’s part of the message. I used a fragmented acrylic ink technique, where colours are applied in distinct, non-blended patches.
This symbolises how the Asperger's mind often processes information—not as a soft, smoothly integrated whole, but as separate, intense, and discrete packets of data. Every colour patch is a piece of information, all existing simultaneously.
The meticulous application of the ink is a testament to the internal focus and effort required to keep that overwhelming, beautiful, and sometimes agonising sensory activity organised and under conscious control.
Finally, I want to address the figure itself. While the painting is a direct self-portrait of my own male Asperger's mind, the subject is modelled after my mother. This was a very deliberate choice. It speaks to a subtle vulnerability, where I am willing to expose the raw, turbulent core of my mind, but I frame that exposure through the trusted and perhaps protective lens of a primary figure in my life.
Ultimately, 'Synesthetic Galaxy' is an invitation. It asks you to look past the surface and truly witness the complex, intense, and often beautiful reality of a mind that is wired differently.