The following blog post was written by Sara Croft, former Print Room Intern. She worked out of the Registration Department which is part of the Collection Support Division of the IMA. While she not longer works inside the IMA, she’s still got her fingers on the pulse of the Indianapolis art scene.
As artists, we rely on our senses to create our forms of expression. Many might consider sight the most important. For John Bramblitt, it’s the least.
image courtesy of bramblitt.net
Before John lost his sight, he didn’t spend much time thinking about painting. He said, “I had thought about painting before, and it might be horrible to say, but I didn’t think I’d be good at it. When I lost my sight, I thought, if I’m not good at it, I’m not going to be able to look at it anyway, so why not give it a try.”
Painting was calming for John. He lost his sight to epilepsy, which left him angry and frustrated. John said, “Had I not lost my sight, I might never have picked up a paintbrush.”
John has developed a process that allows him to paint by touch. The only difference is that instead of using his eyes to differentiate colors, he uses his fingertips.
image courtesy of bramblitt.net
John will be in Indianapolis on July 29th to speak at the 2010 Statewide Assistive Technology Conference. He will conduct a hands-on workshop, where he will instruct people on what it is like to paint from his perspective.
For more information on the event, go here. To learn more about John and his process of painting, visit John’s site.
Filed under: Art, Current Events, Guest Bloggers, Local
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