Marking one year of his creative journey, ESCAPE and RETURN is Patrick Samuel’s first solo exhibition, running until December 2.

Patrick, from Enfield, is an artist with Asperger’s Syndrome. He returned to art after a 20-year break when he started his daily art therapy in December 2016. Patrick has embraced his neurodiversity as a gift rather than seeing it as a disability; he’s found his voice and calling.

Art has changed Patrick’s life for the better, not least thanks to the overwhelming support of the community in Enfield. Many residents have helped him with art materials, frames and canvasses, and local art fairs have provided him with a place to present his work and practice social skills, something very important to a person on the autistic spectrum. His first solo exhibition wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the Dugdale Centre, the sponsorship of businesses both local and national, and the backers on Kickstarter, many of whom are Enfield residents as well.

Patrick has produced an extensive portfolio in a wide range of genres and media. He is stimulated by bold, contrasting colours, intricate details, multiple textures, and varying shades of light and dark. Patrick is working primarily with pastels, graphite pencils and acrylics, but he also enjoys experimenting with water colours, glass and oil paints. ESCAPE and RETURN stands for Patrick’s story so far.

In his own words: “Art is my medium of escape; from the noise, the lights, the fumes and the constant stream of information. It’s deafening and blinding. The pushing and the shoving, the race to get everywhere first and have everything now. I want it all to stop.

“Painting and drawing lets me soar past the planets, where I can let my hands glide across the stars as I say goodbye to it all. Watch it fade away. And I do get that far when I realise how much I’d leave behind back on Earth; the trees, the sound of laughter and the colour of sound, the colourable real, the mythical and fantastic. I realise how much I’d miss it all. How much I’d miss you… This is my return.”

The private view of ESCAPE and RETURN on November 7 has been chosen by Enfield to launch its bid to become London’s Borough of Culture:

enfieldfestivals.co.uk/newsMarking one year of his creative journey, ESCAPE and RETURN is Patrick Samuel’s first solo exhibition.

Patrick, from Enfield, is an artist with Asperger’s Syndrome. He returned to art after a 20-year break when he started his daily art therapy in December 2016. Patrick has embraced his neurodiversity as a gift rather than seeing it as a disability; he’s found his voice and calling.

Art has changed Patrick’s life for the better, not least thanks to the overwhelming support of the community in Enfield. Many residents have helped him with art materials, frames and canvasses, and local art fairs have provided him with a place to present his work and practice social skills, something very important to a person on the autistic spectrum. His first solo exhibition wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the Dugdale Centre, the sponsorship of businesses both local and national, and the backers on Kickstarter, many of whom are Enfield residents as well.

Patrick has produced an extensive portfolio in a wide range of genres and media. He is stimulated by bold, contrasting colours, intricate details, multiple textures, and varying shades of light and dark. Patrick is working primarily with pastels, graphite pencils and acrylics, but he also enjoys experimenting with water colours, glass and oil paints. ESCAPE and RETURN stands for Patrick’s story so far.

In his own words: “Art is my medium of escape; from the noise, the lights, the fumes and the constant stream of information. It’s deafening and blinding. The pushing and the shoving, the race to get everywhere first and have everything now. I want it all to stop.

“Painting and drawing lets me soar past the planets, where I can let my hands glide across the stars as I say goodbye to it all. Watch it fade away. And I do get that far when I realise how much I’d leave behind back on Earth; the trees, the sound of laughter and the colour of sound, the colourable real, the mythical and fantastic. I realise how much I’d miss it all. How much I’d miss you… This is my return.”

The private view of ESCAPE and RETURN on November 7 has been chosen by Enfield to launch its bid to become London’s Borough of Culture: enfieldfestivals.co.uk/news