[1] In 2016, X focused on portraiture developing a long term project "Portraits of Autism" exploring the relationship and impact autistic children have within their immediate family and community on a continuum.
Bleached bare from years of unprotected exposure underneath the sun’s aggressive blaze, X's vintage sedans, vans, and convertibles don’t only evoke an air of abandonment, but they chronicle that which has been forgotten in exchange for what our commercially driven society considers worthy.
While the inhabitants of Slab City are noticeably absent from X's work, the paintings radiate with an underling pulse emblematic of the community’s soul.
The intent of this body of work is to create a platform for social awareness while exploring the process a family goes through as their autistic child becomes an adult.
The project focuses in part on relationship, connection and methods of communication while opening up a discussion about available support systems and funding for both children and adults diagnosed on the autism spectrum.