Iris Grace, a 5-year old girl from Leicestershire, England, lives with her parents and their cats. She was diagnosed with autism in 2011. Not much is known about autism, but a few people who have put the spotlight on the ailment happen to be savants - gifted in maths, arts, or other extraordinary feats.
In Iris' case, she has shown amazing talent for art and painting.
Iris' mother, Arabella Carter-John, details Iris' paintings and the process behind them on their blog. Although we may never be able to understand what goes on in the mind of a child trapped by autism, through her art, we can catch a glimpse of the amazing details she remembers and captures in her seemingly abstract work.
Iris can only speak a few single words and communicates with her parents through made-up signs. She has trouble interacting, especially with other children, which causes her distress. But art and movement have become her main medium for expression. She has also recently begun to learn the violin.
According to her mother, Iris started painting at the age of three to reinforce her speech and other therapy sessions. She said that her daughter's face lights up every time she brings out her painting supplies and there is a joy behind every brushstroke on the paper.
It is one of the only activities that Iris can keep focus on. She hold intense concentration for almost two hours for each work. Some pieces may take hours to complete. Other days or even weeks and months before she tells her mother that it is finished.
"Her autism has created a style of painting which I have never seen in a child of her age, she has an understanding of colors and how they interact with each other," her mother wrote on their website.
The colorful works of art are put on auction and catch nearly $500 each from buyers all over the world. Profit from the sale of her painting go towards her personal therapy, into a trust for her future, and more art supplies.
