One Thing Leads to Another

My first real art show was at the Memorial Union Galleries in Madison, WI.  This was back in the summer of 2006.  Someone who viewed my paintings contacted the Wisconsin Council of the Blind, and from that, I wound up not only showing at the council, but got a live interview on Live at Five with Pam Towsier.  The Council show led to them asking me if I ever heard of the VSA. 

"Pegasus" - one of my earlier original pieces, now available in my etsy shop.



The VSA sponsors a call for art twice a year: one in the fall, and another one for the Art Fair on the Square in Madison at the end of the summer.  The VSA has proven to be worthwhile endeavor.  The next show that I found out about was an international show for the blind in Fullerton, CA called Shared Visions.  I have been with the Shared Visions show now for 7 years.  That show led me to the Second Sense Passionate Focus Show in Chicago.  These two shows are geared toward people with visual impairments, but the shows are juried and the quality of work is phenomenal. 

I'm very honored to have gotten to the point that I am in my art career.  I never know what's around the corner, who will see my art, and what it will lead to.  In the future, I am working on branching out and entering other juried shows, not specific to the visually impaired.  In conjunction with this, I truly enjoy doing local shows such as at The Red Geranium here in Mauston, WI, the Fountain Chateau in Hustler, WI, and an open house coming up soon at Diane Dahl's home, another local artist from Mauston.  These gatherings help to showcase not only my talent, but also the products that feature my original art.  These are the most recent things that I am actively pursuing over the holidays. 
Before I know it, it will soon be spring, and the whole cycle of opportunities will start all over again.

The Process

After any showing or art venue, the question I'm asked most often is: "Okay, you're legally blind, how do you do this?"  I first start off by explaining my vision loss, which is my entire central vision.  It's skews color and depth perception.  I do have peripheral vision, which is lacking the acuity so I substitute that with contrast.  I try to focus on quadrants of the canvas, rotating in a clockwise position, working very close to the canvas until the picture is completed.  Many times I try to mix my own colors, and I come up with what I call "happy accidents."  It's not unheard of for one of my landscapes to contain purple trees. 
Depending on the size of the painting, and whether its a landscape, abstract or floral, it can take up to 8 weeks to complete a painting.  Many of the landscapes, I will go back to several times before they are totally finished. 

In  many cases, I can have up to three different paintings at the same time.  One can be a simple abstract (in which I focus on composition), a more intricate landscape, and a fun floral.  Depending on my mood, I can spend as much as three hours on each painting during each session.  I don't necessarily stick to these three genres, as my commissioned work has included animals, themes from music CDs, etc.  In other words, I change things up all the time.  It's never a dull moment when painting.

Check out my gallery!

One of the great things about my web site is you now can buy my paintings on line.  I also have other items with my work on them for sale too.  Please take time to browse my gallery store.