Autistic Artist Publishes First Book

CORNWALL, Ontario - May 3, 2019 - PRLog -- Artist Carl Parker has never fit in.  As a child, he struggled in school, despite his obvious ability.  As an adult, he struggled to keep jobs, quickly becoming frustrated and disillusioned.  He found himself often broke and alone, luckily, the alone part wasn't much of a problem as he tended to prefer his own company to that of others.  It seemed the future wasn't too bright for Parker.

That is, until he picked up a paint brush at the age of 26 at the behest of his grandmother, Dorothy, an oil painter.  He took to painting like a duck to water.

Ten years later, his life long struggle to fit in was explained by a psychologist, he wasn't a bad student, a bad employee or a bad friend, he was autistic.  His aloofness and laser focus on his own interests, to the exclusion of all else, weren't rudeness, they were typical symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder, defined by Autism Canada as, "a neurodevelopmental disorder that impacts brain development causing most individuals to experience communication problems, difficulty with social interactions and a tendency to repeat specific patterns of behaviour."

Parker didn't let the diagnosis stop him, he continued to paint, honing his craft with that laser focus and in the ensuing twenty years has amassed a world wide following.  His work can be seen in homes and businesses in Canada, the US, the UK, Portugal, Australia and New Zealand, as well as in the In Camera Dining Room at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

In honour of his long standing career, Mr. Parker has published a book, Carl Parker: A Life in Paint: How One Adult With Asperger's Found His Place in the World Through Art.  This 68 page retrospective not only discusses his earlier struggles to fit into the world, but also features over 50 of the artist's paintings complete with personal commentary about his motivation, inspiration and feelings about each.  The book is available worldwide through Amazon as Barnes and Noble online.

When asked why a book, Parker replied, "I wanted to give people like me hope, to show them that this diagnosis isn't a limitation, you may have to come at some things from a different angle, but you can still achieve your dreams and achieve great success."
http://www.parkerart.ca/