Artist tries a new drug every day and creates insane self-portraits while high

Art

February 4, 2014

Taking a new drug every day for weeks on end is weird…unless it's for art. Then, it's amazing. Which is exactly what artist Bryan Lewis Saunders did when he tried a new narcotic or pharmaceutical every day, then created a self-portrait while high on the stuff. Cocaine, meth, Ambien, Klonopin, you name it; he did it, even suffering mild brain damage in the process, and his portraits are nothing short of insane.

Taking a new drug every day for weeks on end is weird…unless it's for art. Then, it's amazing. Which is exactly what artist Bryan Lewis Saunders did when he tried a new narcotic or pharmaceutical every day, then created a self-portrait while high on the stuff. Cocaine, meth, Ambien, Klonopin, you name it; he did it, and his portraits are nothing short of completely insane.

But why would someone go so far as to do something like meth for the sheer sake of art? Says Bryan on his website,

"After experiencing drastic changes in my environment, I looked for other experiences that might profoundly affect my perception of self. So I devised another experiment where everyday I took a different drug and drew myself under the influence. Within weeks I became lethargic and suffered mild brain damage."

Damn. Let's see if the brain damage was worth it…

Zoloft