As a visually impaired artist, I get a lot of the same questions that visually impaired people and artists tend to get, but with one big difference.
If I’m talking to a person who only knows I’m visually impaired, they tend to ask me about my vision and how good or bad it is. On the other hand, if I’ve only told that person that I’m an artist, then he or she will ask me how I can create such beautiful things.
But if a person knows that I’m both visually impaired, and an artist, they’ll ask both of these questions. What’s the difference?
The difference is the tone of surprise in their voice. It’s something that I’ve always noticed, and yet, it always manages to, well, surprise me.
Despite this, I try to answer these questions as well as I can. I tell the person that I need to be really close to the page, so that I can see the details. A lot of the details are done with predictable pattern-work, so I can almost guess the way they look if I have to.
The second question is a lot harder to answer because I have nothing to compare my vision to. I’ve been this way since birth; so this is all I’ve known. As a result, I find it helpful to try to describe their face to them. “Well, I think you have glasses on, and I'm not sure if you're smiling; in this light it’s a little difficult to tell…”
As an advocate of CNIB, I think it’s important that people feel comfortable enough to ask me these types of questions. When they do, it helps to show that people who are blind or partially sighted, can accomplish whatever they put our minds to.
Right now, I’m a freelance artist with my mind set on finishing up the Design and Visual Arts program at Cambrian College. I’m working with a combination of watercolours and colouring pencils, and the results are pretty interesting.
In the past, I’ve also done a lot of work with colouring pencils by themselves, and those results will blow your socks off! Unfortunately, although they have their up-side, colouring pencils take up a lot of time, and for us visually impaired people, a lot of time means a lot of eye strain and a lot of headaches. That’s why I’ve started to experiment with watercolour.
Actually, you managed to catch me at a pretty experimental time; I’m starting to work digitally too. Although, I’m not sure if I’ll stick with it because I feel like I’m cheating when I manipulate a photo like this; even if I did take the picture myself. This one sure was fun though!
Anyway, thanks for reading! If you want to know more about my art, or what it’s like to be a visually impaired artist, check out my bio at: https://mcanshshelby.wixsite.com/mysite/about-the-artist
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