Topic: Bryan Lewis Saunders Self-Portraits under the influence of drugs

[Discover99]

Just found this link somewhere online

So interesting and scary and sometimes beautiful

http://bryanlewissaunders.org/drugs/
From his website:

On March 30th 1995, I started doing at least one Self-Portrait everyday for the rest of my life. At present I have over 8,000 of them. Like fingerprints, snowflakes and DNA they are all different, no two are the same.  For hundreds of years, artists have been putting themselves into representations of the world around them.  I am doing the exact opposite.  I put the world around me into representations of myself as I find this more true to my Central Nervous System. After experiencing drastic changes in my environment, I looked for other experiences that might profoundly affect my perception of the self.  So I devised another experiment where everyday I took a different drug and drew myself under the influence.  Within weeks I became lethargic and suffered mild brain damage.  I am still conducting this experiment but over greater lapses of time.  I only take drugs that are given to me.

under the influence of Ablify,xanax, Ativan


ButaneHoneyOil

those are quite pretty, following the link you'll find more than 45 different self-portraits ..

[smokester]

I just read this on Wikipedia:

On March 30, 1995, Saunders began drawing at least one self-portrait every day for the rest of his life. For 11 days in 2001, Saunders conducted an experiment in which he ingested or inhaled a different intoxicant everyday and created a self-portrait under the influence documenting the effects of his altered perception. In January 2011, a selection of the drug induced self-portraits presented online went viral. In 2003, Saunders began sleeping with a cassette recorder and documenting both his dreams and somniloquy which led to a wealth of source material for both audio releases and books. The transcriptions of his lengthy somniloquy led to what is known as the Stream of unconsciousness (narrative mode) method of writing.

I am always a little skeptical about artists on drugs as you are never quite sure what you are attributing the "art" to, or lack of it for that matter.  Besides that though, people off their tits are always amusing.

[Beatrix]

This is very interesting, and quirky with a splash of ridiculous, right up my ally.  Thank you.

[Discover99]

^

I am always a little skeptical about artists on drugs as you are never quite sure what you are attributing the "art" to, or lack of it for that matter.  Besides that though, people off their tits are always amusing.

i see what you mean, in this case i find it very interesting to see drugs being given a face... it's sometimes beautiful but mostly really horrible to see.
i don't know if you followed the link and looked at the other self-portraits under the influence?
from his website

For hundreds of years, artists have been putting themselves into representations of the world around them.  I am doing the exact opposite.  I put the world around me into representations of myself as I find this more true to my Central Nervous System.

[Beatrix]

Oh I did.  The thing I meant by quirky is him, himself.  He seems quirky. 
Interesting variants, and the way he came about in the getting the muse for each, well I was laughing at the hospital comments, and deep down I knew he almost killed himself.
It's brilliant, and original.  I don't ever want to see anyone do it again, once is all it takes. 

[xtopave]

One of them was painted under the influence of cephalexin?! I mean that's an antibiotic. It does absolutely freaking nothing to your nervous system. Water from a vase would have made him more effect.
An another one was under nicotine gum?

[Discover99]

well one was under the influence of bath salt
i'm still wondering how he administered that... like snorted it or .. drank it *shudder

[xtopave]

well one was under the influence of bath salt
i'm still wondering how he administered that... like snorted it or .. drank it *shudder

He probably means this kind of bath salts.

[Discover99]

He probably means this kind of bath salts.

ohh
thanks for clearing this up!
it makes so much more sense now. (still shudder worthy)

but still the picture under the influence of those salt like drugs was terrifying

[xtopave]

(still shudder worthy)

Definitely. Did he really took all that crap?!   

[smokester]

His 11 days sound like a half-decent Saturday night a few years back.

[Discover99]

Definitely. Did he really took all that crap?!   

well after looking around a little on his website, I'm very sure he did