Christian Early doesn’t go anywhere without his purple backpack. Inside are sketchpads and markers, tools that help the South Florida artist translate his thoughts into whimsical figures, bright colors and playful portraits.
On September 18, the Coral Springs Museum of Art will feature some of those portraits in the pop-up exhibit Down Children and Autism: Connecting Beyond the Artwork, a project supported by a 2025 Broward Cultural Division grant.
Early’s portraits will be displayed alongside photographs of David, Cassandra, Alex and Preston, the four children with Down syndrome who participated in the project. With the children and their families attending, the pop-up will also feature t-shirts printed with the children’s images and his illustrated book, Can You See Me. As part of his process, he met with each child several times, sketching during family visits and later using those sketches along with family photographs to create finished paintings of each child in his home studio.
Early, a 41-year-old Colombian-born autistic adult, has long used painting as his primary way to connect with the world. At age 17, a family friend introduced him to painting – a turning point that sparked a lifelong passion, according to his mother, Mayra Ron.
Ron has been his champion from the start –advocating for his education, creating opportunities for him to learn from art teachers and eventually founding Art Possibilities, a nonprofit that promotes the work of adults with autism.
“Christian is a blessing for me,” she said. “Really what the world believes is a tragedy — having a special needs child — God has turned it around and made him my blessing.”
Early’s first Broward Cultural Division grant supported Kitties and Autism, an exhibit inspired by visits to an animal shelter. Juliana Forero, director and curator of the Coral Springs Museum of Art, recalled that show as his “cats master” phase — an early step in a career that has since grown to include reinterpretations of famous works and now, portraits of children with Down syndrome.
The bond between Early and his mother threads through his art, which Ron said often radiates humor and joy. His newest project reflects his interactions with the children, whom he sketched during visits before turning the portraits into paintings for the exhibit.
Forero said the works speak to more than just labels.
“Yes, he is autistic and yes the children have Down syndrome, but I hope people will discuss his artistry, his colors, his expression, his materials,” she said. “It’s not about him being autistic or the children having Down syndrome. It’s about how he portrays what he sees in the world.”
Forero described his work as expressive and colorful, always reflecting his way of seeing things.
Ron said the exhibit also challenges stereotypes about autism.
“People think autistic people don’t feel, and it’s not true,” she explained. “They feel deeply. They just communicate it differently than we do.”
While Down Children and Autism is a one-night event, the museum is also presenting a monthlong exhibition of Early’s Imitating the Masters series through September 27.
“What he does is not to imitate or copy the work of a master, but to reinterpret it from his perspective,” Forero said. “That’s the beauty of his art — he’s showing us how he sees the world, not necessarily how the world is expected to be represented.”
In this manner, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa becomes a portrait of his mother, underscoring her central role in his life, while Jean-Michel Basquiat’s upright dinosaur transforms into a four-legged creature.
While Imitating the Masters highlights how Early reimagines iconic works, the September 18 exhibit brings the focus back to his connections with others. The portraits of David, Cassandra, Alex and Preston reveal an ability to form relationships beyond words.
For Ron, that message extends beyond her son.
“There’s a purpose for them,” she said. “God doesn’t put anybody here just like that. Everything is… there’s no coincidence. They have things they can give us.”
That belief has guided her advocacy for decades and her support for Early’s career. And for her, the greatest joy is seeing him spend his days immersed in painting.
“You know they say that if you work in what you like, you never work a day in your life,” Ron said. “So, he hasn’t worked a day in his life.”
IF YOU GO
WHAT: “Down Children and Autism: Connecting Beyond the Artwork”
WHERE: Coral Springs Museum of Art, 2855 Coral Springs Drive, Coral Springs
WHEN: Thursday, September 18, 5:30 – 7 p.m.
TICKETS: Free
INFORMATION: coralspringsmuseum.org
