| Blind painter sees color |
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| by Dorothy Doppstadt | |||||
| Tuesday, 17 March 2009 | |||||
 John Bramblitt never suspected learning how to paint after becoming blind would lead to a successful career. The 37 year-old says he suffered from seizures and vision problems from epilepsy his entire life, "Art always gave me a sense of control, and helped me deal with health issues." He majored in creative writing and art theory at college. When he became completely blind eight years ago he had no creative outlet,"I felt hopeless; I had lost all my dreams." Bramblitt, who lives outside of Dallas, Texas adds, "I became so low I felt if I failed it didn't matter, and that's when I became brave enough to try something new." He says he started to see with his hands. "I had all these images in my head I needed to get out." There was no book in Braille on how to paint, so he began teaching himself. He began mixing his own oil paints, feeling the textures of different colors. "Black is thick like toothpaste, ivory feels runny and crimson is thin. But twilight blue is my favorite color because it feels so beautiful." He painted by using one hand for the brush stroke and the other hand to feel the raised line of the paint on the canvas. Soon he was painting 12-to-14 hours a day, "I would sweat I was concentrating so hard. But I began to notice I was feeling calmer. I accidentally fell into my own Zen." "When I paint, I can only concentrate on the paint stroke I'm making. Not on the next stroke," the soft-spoken man says with a laugh. "My world started to take on a whole new color. It became brighter." Bramblitt says his friends began to wonder what he was doing all day and when they came to his house they were surprised to see all the different paintings. "I painted people I knew and loved; also memories like my grandmother's garden." His friends organized his first show, but he wouldn't have an opening night party. "I wanted people to judge the art for itself, not that it was painted by a blind man." He began having more shows and his art is now sold all over the world. "I'm happier than I ever was." He says he has started writing again and his seizures have stopped. "This was a blessing, the lesson I learned was to never give up." Bramblitt married two years ago and has a son. "Turns out I didn?t lose anything. I gained everything!" To see John's art visit: www.bramblitt.net
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Comments (2)
Natalie D
said:
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Show/Hide comments| As a painter myself, I can't even begin to comprehend what it would be like to paint without seeing what's in front of you. It's very bold to start a new passion that requires something that you don't have anymore, and even more amazing that the paintings come out as great work! |
John Bramblitt
said:
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I loved the article; the care that you took writing the article and your obvious expertise with the written word comes through so clearly. Thank you again - I wish you the very best with the website; it is such a positive force, and one that is clearly needed right now. All my best to you, John |
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