A Portrait of Autism
Some of the Portrait of Autism pieces done by Jerry Montoya in 2021
April is World Autism Month, a month where individuals and organizations around the world work to spread awareness and understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Jerry Montoya, an artist and creator of the project titled Portrait of Autism, dedicates his art to celebrate World Autism Month.
Montaya shared,
Everyday for the month of April I create a new piece to show the many wonderful people who have autism. Each post typically features some fun facts about the individual. It has been such an amazing experience connecting with other parents with children on the spectrum and getting to know a little bit about their struggles, successes, and joys.
Some of the Portrait of Autism pieces done by Jerry Montoya in 2018.
Montoya indicated that autism has impacted his life in a huge way, as his son was diagnosed at the age of two. He shared that, “Having a child with special needs can be incredibly isolating. My wife and I often felt alone in the world.”
As an artist, Montoya expressed that his art reflects his life experiences. In one of his projects, titled ASD, he drew his son and included the struggles that come with autism within the pieces. He saw how moved his wife was by this project and strived to provide other families with the same emotions. As a way to give back to the autism community and to show those less familiar with autism, he decided to draw children with autism and share a little bit of information about each child to exemplify the diversity in the autism community.
Some of the Portrait of Autism pieces done by Jerry Montoya in 2019.
In doing this project, he has found the process to be hectic at times while making the pieces, communicating with parents and also posting daily during the month of April while also maintaining his job and connection with his family. Despite the hectic schedule, he and his wife have learned a lot in the process. Montoya’s wife assists him by organizing and corresponding with the families. Both of them have felt less alone since being in contact with families that also have children with autism and individuals with autism. They have even developed relationships with some of the families by providing support and also celebrating success throughout the years.
Some of the Portrait of Autism pieces done by Jerry Montoya in 2020
When asked about his art he noted, “Since the pandemic I have given myself more time for my art in general. Like many others I was out of work for a bit and it made me focus and appreciate the things that bring me joy more.” Each year, he sees his art evolving and he sees growth within himself. Montoya uses a lot of different mediums, including, graphite, charcoal, pastels, oils, and watercolors. For each child he decides what medium to use based on the feeling or energy the image of the child gives him. Upon looking at each image, he says he often knows what medium will best highlight the person.
Along with this project, he has another project that focused on his relationship to his son, who he mentioned has autism. He notes in the description that the pieces are meant to show how he felt his son viewed him. This section of his art website can be seen here.
Submissions to be drawn for the 2022 year are now being accepted with more information on his Instagram. All of the portraits from prior years can be found on his Instagram: @montoya_art26 and on his website.