Master of Visual Arts / My MVA work, Alternative Perceptions of Reality: Dyslexia, revolves around dyslexia and ways in which dyslexic artists, like myself, represent reality in their art. I focus on how dyslexics perceive space and time, how this is represented in their work and how it manifests in my own work. The introduction describes why dyslexia is relevant to art, provides more detail on dyslexia itself and ways dyslexia can affect perception. Surrealism and Symbolism are discussed in order to draw parallels with dyslexic perception. Chapter 1 describes the influences on my own work, including dyslexia, primitive art and symbolism. The second chapter profiles two well known artists with dyslexia: Robert Rauschenberg and Pablo Picasso. I examine ways in which they represent space or reality and how dyslexic perception is apparent in their works. Similarly, in Chapter 3, I discuss the works of the contemporary dyslexic artists Terry A. Orchard and Katharine Dowson, including the results of interviews and surveys I conducted. Throughout this dissertation, I also discuss my own experience of dyslexia and how it is expressed through my paintings. In the conclusion, I discuss what I have learned about the work of myself and other dyslexic artists: How our paintings are a glimpse of alternative inner realities.

Master of Visual Arts / My MVA work, Alternative Perceptions of Reality: Dyslexia, revolves around dyslexia and ways in which dyslexic artists, like myself, represent reality in their art. I focus on how dyslexics perceive space and time, how this is represented in their work and how it manifests in my own work. The introduction describes why dyslexia is relevant to art, provides more detail on dyslexia itself and ways dyslexia can affect perception. Surrealism and Symbolism are discussed in order to draw parallels with dyslexic perception. Chapter 1 describes the influences on my own work, including dyslexia, primitive art and symbolism. The second chapter profiles two well known artists with dyslexia: Robert Rauschenberg and Pablo Picasso. I examine ways in which they represent space or reality and how dyslexic perception is apparent in their works. Similarly, in Chapter 3, I discuss the works of the contemporary dyslexic artists Terry A. Orchard and Katharine Dowson, including the results of interviews and surveys I conducted. Throughout this dissertation, I also discuss my own experience of dyslexia and how it is expressed through my paintings. In the conclusion, I discuss what I have learned about the work of myself and other dyslexic artists: How our paintings are a glimpse of alternative inner realities.