Suffering from “savant syndrome,” Gregory L. Blackstock nevertheless lived independently for most of his adult life. As a teenager, he worked as a newspaper delivery boy and developed a passion for drawing, bowling, and the accordion. Around the age of forty, after spending twenty-five years working as a dishwasher in an upscale sports club in Seattle, he devoted himself fully to his passion for drawing.
Endowed with an exceptional memory, Blackstock methodically catalogued his research drawn from various guides: animals, objects, and plants, which he labeled in neat uppercase letters and organized by groups or species.
His work, both encyclopedic and artistic, combines rigor and aesthetics. In 2003, with the help of a cousin, he held his first solo exhibition.