Art on drugs: Artist takes drugs to create self-portraits

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Published time: September 17, 2012 12:46
Edited time: September 17, 2012 16:46

Pictures by Bryan Lewis Saunders from bryanlewissaunders.org

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Art, Drugs, USA

Drugs have probably always had some place in the creative process. American artist Bryan Lewis Saunders has taken it to the limit and experimented with most of the common recreational drugs, each time working on a self-portrait.

Saunders’ drugs project may seem controversial, yet it is an exciting one… And it is also a tough challenge for his physical and mental health.

“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."

However after a few weeks of intensive drug-taking the artist had to visit doctors for help as he started experiencing problems.

“Within weeks I became lethargic and suffered mild brain damage. I am still conducting this experiment but over a longer time period. I only take drugs that are given to me.”

During his experiment the artists created dozens of self-portraits, in which Saunders tried to visually express the effect this or that drug produced on his mind. Among the portraits are rather human-like images along with abstract and disturbing drawings.

Saunders drew while tripping on various substances ranging from cocaine, psilocybin mushrooms and marijuana, to DMT, morphine and PCP.

Picture by Bryan Lewis Saunders from bryanlewissaunders.org

Comments (5)

Anonymouse (unregistered) 25.10.2012 17:51

From the first time when our ancestors ate a psychedelic mushroom while foraging for food, psychedelic plants (drugs) have a place in the evolution of humanity. Expansion of consciousness is its sole purpose. Creativity is only an artifact of the expansion of ones consciousness.
Mo st of the leaders in the computing industry sited the use of psychedelics in the 60s as the reason for that evolutionary leap in our technological progress. There was a reason why the use of psychedelics was a rite of passage in the social constructs of early civilizations. Those reasons are evident in our modern 'so-called' civilized (mostly mundane) society.
As skilled an artist as Bryan is he will never be able to portray the multidimensional images he experiences on a psychedelic journey. If he continues to use psychedelics (while drawing) he will notice that his self portraits will evolve as he does...

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Dopamine Shutdown (unregistered) 17.09.2012 23:46

I'd like to see what this guy would paint after taking 20mg of Haldol.

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Susan (unregistered) 17.09.2012 18:32

Steve is right. By encouraging drug use in the United States it is obviously going to have an effect on drug use in other countries including Russia.

But perhaps you are just supporting the Russian Mafia which we know deals drugs in America.

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