Blind Artist Vision: blog by Stella De Genova
I am not an arborist, nor do I even know the names of most trees. I just love them. I especially love trees in the months that they are almost bare. Just like a fingerprint, every tree is unique in its own way. And when they aren’t loaded with leaves, you can see the heaviness of trunks and branches, as well as the twists and turns of the most fragile twigs at the tips of their growth.
I think trees have history and character. When I see a big old tree that must be 50 to 75 years old, I wonder what it has lived through and who, if anyone, cared for it. Some trees are strong towering giants and others are delicate and wispy. Some have sharp needles and others, soft brightly colored flowers. Large or small, solid and thick or thin and bending, I believe trees have their own stories to tell.
When it comes to drawing and painting things from nature, trees are the most fun for me. I find it freeing to paint a tree. I may have a specific tree in mind but once I get the basic shape of the tree down, I can then start adding layers of color and I let the branches and twigs do their own thing.
Think about it, brown is made up of many colors and once we discover that trees are not just brown trunks and green leaves, that’s when the fun begins. As you’ll see from the paintings I’ve added to this post, I’ve used every color in the box to give my trees their own look and mood.
I’ve always been a perfectionist and my own worst critic of my art and being visually impaired only makes me want to try harder. For those of us who are visually impaired and blind, we are always gauging what we do against the sighted world, trying to hold ourselves to the same standards. I was always able to keep up with those around me in what I was doing and did a good job of faking it when I couldn’t. But when I started art school after high school, I never thought my work was good enough. I can’t fake the fact that I’m legally blind anymore and when it comes to my artwork, I’ve grown into my own style and can only hope that others appreciate it. I do have to admit that when I’m out for a nature walk, I get frustrated with my lack of vision. As much as I wish I could, I can no longer see the colors around me and trying to look at the details of the wildflowers right near me are a blur. Now, I have to trust my memory of colors and I may take a photo and zoom in on my IPad where I can still see some detail.
With all of that dancing around in my head all of the time, working on trees is a joy because I can allow myself to let my trees go where they will. For me, each tree has its own story and since many of them live longer than we do, we should give respect to these elders of the earth.
As we know, nature is good for our minds and souls and I am all for putting a little of it in a frame and hanging it on a wall so I can always have the "feel good" nature offers even if I can’t get out for a walk in the woods. I’ve had a very busy life this summer and this weekend, we enjoyed some down time in Door County, WI. It’s just perfect and I love being surrounded by water and farms and trees everywhere!, not to mention some family fun!
This is Nabeela (again). I love reading your observations on trees & self defeating perfectionism! One thing your post made me think about is that a lot of the biggest trees we see here in the Midwest were not cut down because there was some 'flaw' in them that made them unsuitable for the timber industry. Lack of perfection helped them survive!!