He can’t speak, so his art does it for him — Nonverbal Bethesda artist debuts expressive artwork

He can't talk, but his art says so much

For his entire life, Charles Lunn from Bethesda, Maryland, hasn’t been able to speak. He’s autistic and nonverbal.

The most noise he ever makes is when he claps — sometimes it’ll be a single clap when he’s angry, but he’ll also do it when he’s happy.

This weekend, the Lost Origins Gallery in Mount Pleasant will allow Lunn to make a ton of noise when his art exhibition titled “Nonsense & Hopeful Songs: My Inner Fight to be Heard” opens up to the public.

Paintings and poetry, which are how Lunn, 35, communicates with the world, will be on display at the gallery in Northwest D.C.

“It’s the way he gets to express himself physically,” said Lunn’s mother, Lorie Peters-Lauthier. “Because his brain has a disconnect with his body, the synapses don’t fire to tell his body what to do. So when he’s painting, he’s free in space to express himself.”

As soon as she finished that statement, Lunn loudly clapped his hands. There would be a lot of those as his mother spoke to WTOP about the way he’s overcome his struggles to communicate.

“You can see whether he’s happy, sad, whether he’s making a social commentary, because he does have lots of political statements to make — and about humanity and compassion,” Peters-Lauthier said. “If you can’t express yourself with words, then it’s going to come out in your painting. So ‘I’m having a good day, or I’m having a hot day, or I’m having an angry day’ — that can be expressed in the colors.”

Sometimes, he writes a poem first, and sometimes it’s the painting first, and then he pairs them together. She said it’s always straight from the heart.

“Part of his mission is to let people know that he is not disabled. He has a body-brain disconnect where the synapses are not connecting. You give them an instruction, and the body doesn’t follow what the brain hears,” she said.

“For him, it’s a battle,” she added. “So being able to express himself in words and in painting is quite fantastic.”

Charles Lunn and his mother stand in front of his paintings
Bethesda-based artist Charles Lunn is autistic and nonverbal. This weekend, he’ll communicate with the world through painting and poems in his art exhibition. (WTOP/John Domen)
A booklet titled 'Nonsense & Hopeful Songs: My Inner Fight to be Heard' at Lunn's art exhibition
The Lost Origins Gallery in Mount Pleasant will allow Charles Lunn to make a ton of noise when his art exhibition titled “Nonsense & Hopeful Songs: My Inner Fight to be Heard” opens up to the public. (WTOP/John Domen)
Paintings hang on gallery wall
Paintings and poetry, which are how Lunn communicates with the world, will be on display at the gallery in Northwest D.C. (WTOP/John Domen)
Eons of Bold Diminished Confidence art exhibit
Sometimes, he writes a poem first and sometimes it’s the painting first, and then he pairs them together. His mom said it’s always straight from the heart. (WTOP/John Domen)
Lunn’s mother, Lorie Peters-Lotier, stands in the gallery
Lunn’s mother, Lorie Peters-Lauthier said, “When he’s painting, he’s free in space to express himself.” (WTOP/John Domen)
Paintings hang on wall in art gallery
Gallery owner Jason Hamacher said he hopes the exhibit will help people open their minds. (WTOP/John Domen)
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Charles Lunn and his mother stand in front of his paintings
A booklet titled 'Nonsense & Hopeful Songs: My Inner Fight to be Heard' at Lunn's art exhibition
Paintings hang on gallery wall
Eons of Bold Diminished Confidence art exhibit
Lunn’s mother, Lorie Peters-Lotier, stands in the gallery
Paintings hang on wall in art gallery

The sheer intellect and emotion fueling the art are also likely to catch many people by surprise, especially if they have limited or no experience with autistic people. Gallery owner Jason Hamacher is counting on it.

“I would love for people to come through and look and recognize that just because someone is not able to look us in the eye or able to verbalize sentiment, that there is an incredible world that is locked inside of them,” Hamacher said. “They actually can listen and they can interact, but we have to slow down and give someone the chance to do that.

“It’s just as much an opportunity for us as it is for him to kind of experience an alternative way of communication,” he added.

For Lunn’s mother, it’s also a chance to change the perception people might have about the autistic community and highlight just how much someone with autism is capable of.

“Believe in your child, believe in your niece, your nephew, whoever it is,” she said. “They’re in there. They’re here to teach us compassion and love. There’s a lot of hate and violence around and these kids are nothing but love, compassion and I think they’re here to show us a new way.”

“One in 36 children today are born with autism or on the spectrum,” she added. “That’s our new generation. I think we better rethink how we treat them.”

When Hamacher was asked if this exhibit would help do that, his answer was short and direct: “I hope so.”

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John Domen

John has been with WTOP since 2016 but has spent most of his life living and working in the DMV, covering nearly every kind of story imaginable around the region. He’s twice been named Best Reporter by the Chesapeake Associated Press Broadcasters Association. 

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