John Bramblitt is a blind artist living in Denton Texas whose art has been sold over 120 countries. He has appeared internationally in print, TV, and radio and has designed artwork for magazine covers major film productions. He has received the Most Inspirational Video of 2008 from YouTube and three Presidential Service Awards for his innovative workshops. He currently works as an accessibility consultant for museums.
Painting without sight
When John lost his sight to complications from epilepsy and Lyme's disease, he discovered painting, learning to differentiate paint colors through their textures. He uses raised lines to keep track of his place on the canvas, and through a process of haptic visualization, he's able to paint realistic portraits of objects and people he's never seen before. He describes color as something that goes far deeper than the light that reflects off of objects, saying he sees brilliant colors in other senses, such as the sound of music.
On his YouTube channel, John posts livestreams of his work, tutorials, and other projects related to his work. Watch below as he describes his technique for "seeing" a face through touch:
You can also check out John's TEDx talk at SouthwesternAU where tell his story while painting: