Bryan Lewis Saunders - 50 Self Portraits

[changeling67]

Bryan Lewis Saunders - Morphine

I appreciate that this story has been Facebooked many times, but the artist Bryan Lewis Saunders has been highlighted in the news recently, for his potentially deadly experiment - creating artwork under the influence of drugs.  It began over twelve years ago and was conducted in quick succession, sometimes a different drug on concurring days. It is said that he suffered mild brain damage as a result, but is still experimenting over a decade later - using longer time lapses.  Some would argue that who in their right mind would do such a dangerous thing (in my experience, artists aren't the norm, hence their ability to be able to create their art); some would say that it is an interesting experiment and shows how drugs alters perceptions in differing degrees.  Some think it is contrived, a cop-out - with a fair amount of justification.  Since when has the humble cough medicine made anyone trippy?

I am curious, because my only brush with drugs has been when a wisdom tooth operation went badly wrong (will spare you the description).  After a concoction of codeine and diclofenac would not stop the agony, I had to be nuked with morphine - a weird drug.  Things went very mushy, very spacey and I wasn't allowed out in the traffic, or indeed out of anyone's site for a week.  When the severe bruising and soft tissue damage had receded, I had to be weened off of it and let me tell you, it was seriously horrible stuff.  I was then put on Tegretol - a drug commonly used for the treatment of epilepsy, but also was effective in the treatment of nerve pain associated with trigeminal neuralgia. One of the side effects were that it also dampened down any sensations such as joy and generally made life absolutely cheerless - eventually, I decided that until I had a corrective operation, I would stick to the codeine, thanks.

Below, there are a few more of Lewis-Saunders' artwork.  I seriously worry about the absinthe one - obviously didn't make the heart grow fonder (I know, bad joke).  The PCP one is very troubling, because it gives a sense of the total absence of the artist at all - a barely-functioning shell.  Disclaimer - do not try this at home as it is very, very dangerous - I would like to say now that I am not advocating drug use, but I am interested in the result.

Bryan Lewis Saunders - Crystal Meth

Bryan Lewis Saunders - Valium




Bryan Lewis Saunders - Absinthe




Bryan Lewis Saunders - PCP

Full story with more pix ----------------------------->  http://elitedaily.com/envision/artist-creates-self-portraits-on-different-drugs-and-the-results-are-insane-photos/

Comments

Bryan Lewis Saunders - 50 Self Portraits

[livejournal.livejournal.com]

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[calico-pye.livejournal.com]

I thought so, too - some of it I am not so sure about. Like the magic mushrooms, not sure if a person would have been that 'together' enough to paint under that influence. A friend of mine said he was so out of his dome on 'shrooms, that he thought the walls were talking to him. Not a good state to be in.

The Valium one at least looks warm and fuzzy and I like the use of the biro pen. Ditto the PCP - very worrying. Crystal Meth one just seems like he has fried his brain, but the Absinthe one is unnerving. Like a brain holocaust has happened. I wouldn't have advocate swigging brain-rotting wormwood before - even less so now.

Re: ; '

[calico-pye.livejournal.com]

I must admit I have not heard of this and will be interested read up on it. Many indigenous cultures have used mind-altering drugs and Haiti was one of the first places that came to mind. That and the experiences of Carlos Castaneda with the Yaqui Indian don Juan Matos. I remember reading 'The Teachings of Don Juan,''A Separate Reality' and 'Journey to Ixtlan' when I was 16.

[bluegerl.livejournal.com]

Some artist. He seems able to paint under the influences... and my goodness what a painter. I just love these 'lookings' into what drugs can do and do do. Even Nitrous Oxide...for teeth extractions - I couldn't have painted under that influence but the morphine and a couple of others... yes.

Oh you had problems with painkillers. Morphine is AWFUL. I was on it last year for my inflamed spinal cord... and I just couldn't stand the woolly head and 'distance' from anything real feeling. Couldn't write, think, cope.... so I dropped it and had a week going Cold Turkey... all the bloody awful symptoms... shivers, twitchings, sickness... god. And so I'm back with the Codeine derivative... Called Doliprane here. NO mental aberrations thank the lord.

It is dreadful to be unable to'feel'.... anything! I do so sympathise with the teeth too, aaaahhhh 'orrible pain. Just got mine all sorted now... except that I now have to get used to pips and crispy hard crumbs under the bottom plate! OUCH!

That Bryan Lewis Saunders... brave man.. and I DO really like a lot of those paintings. Far more - intriguing than a lot of modernists.

yes, Absinthe...oh dear me. Bad news. Marijuana looks fun!

What an interesting post. Thanks ever so.

[calico-pye.livejournal.com]

Hmm morphine was weird - every time I walked anywhere, I felt that there were several 'selves' in front and behind me.

When I had to study Psychology module on my Access course, I was given this link -----> http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/mouse/

It was interesting to see how drugs affected different areas of the brain. Fascinating - will add the link to my profile for further reference :-)

[bluegerl.livejournal.com]

Oh what fun Poor little Meeces, They did look spaced out! What fun tho and NOW I understand a whole lot more. Don't like any of them. I certainly wouldn't take any voluntarily. I once had some little blue pills for my excrutiating migraines and I think they must have been LSD as everything became nightmarishly distorted. People melted, like soft candlewax, my bedsheet broke like windscreen glass... the window glass went all putty! god I threw them down the loo fastest! terrifying.

This was super... So. Stick to codeine! I can see why it would be useful in Psychology.. it must twist people's minds and viewpoints. I think this sort of site should be available for a whole load MORE drugs that are body altering in the same way. Now that I'm low on thyroid... I googled and it said I must take selenium (which helps) and strangely enough I have already been taking it for several years... not knowing! It was for stress when I was married and under continual boiling point.

I do not wish to have morphine again...but one never knows and if it is for cancer (terminal sort) then yay... indeed slap it in me. I don't mind going foggy in the head then. But NOT when I'm well and functioning thank you!


Bless. but those paintings.... he really is good at it... graphic, charcoal watercolours? acrylics...he is superb really. I really DO like them.

[bethnoir.livejournal.com]

really interesting experiment. I wonder how many decisions he made about materials he would use and style of portrait he intended to do, before he took the drugs though, you'd have to plan ahead and would naturally have prejudices about what drugs do beforehand.

I think drugs don't bring anything new, creatively, they let people access different parts of themselves possibly, but you'd have to have those talents without drugs anyway. I've just finished reading a book called "All the Madmen" by Clinton Heylin about the ideas around creativity and LSD in the late 60s/early70s. The usual suspects, Bowie, Syd Barrett and so on were featured but also the thoughts of RD Laing, interesting....

[calico-pye.livejournal.com]

I found the paintings interesting - of course, the idea of using drugs to obtain altered states is as old as time itself and I read a lot of Carlos Castaneda when I was younger. The thing is, he took the different drugs daily - there would be an overlap of chemicals in his bloodstream. It would have been difficult to determine if he was truly experiencing an altered state on one specific drug, not to mention how it must've taken a toll on his health - his tox screen must've read like the Periodic Table.