When the invitation came to join in the fundraiser for the Braille Club dinner/dance, I joined in. Not having been there before, I came with fine watercolor paper, watercolors and a cup for water. Painting and drawing beats being bored at functions. The blind are my 180 degree opposite: I am a Visual artist. Where we meet is on the dance floor.
I bought a gold lame shirt with sequins and glitter for this occasion. It wasn’t for ‘show’ as it was for feel. The piping gold threads made it easy to touch and recognize me. My girlfriend used this technique as she dragged me around to tables to meet her blind friends. The faces of the blind are often deformed if using perfect symmetry as the standard for the human face. At first, it was hard for me to look at them. In my art, I often seek out the perfection found in beauty and personality. This was my opportunity to do service for those who are not graced with sight. What they are graced with is tolerance, understanding and life.
The watercolor that resulted was odd even for me. The three persons were distant from my table but I could see features. Their features didn’t emerge in the sketching! And the colors are duller than I usually like. It was so weird that I didn’t paint in the eyes of the blind at all. At first I was hard on myself but I believe it was my Spirit who pointed out we don’t need facial features to recognize a human presence.
One sighted person came over to me to photograph me and the artwork. To him, the artwork was memorial. Others knew I was painting and didn’t seem affected. It was the sense of being accepted for whatever I was doing that made me relax. The blind in this Braille Club are bonded together in spiritual faith and service.
My dance partner didn’t want to dance. He claimed having poor movement. I assured him with a joke that no one will see him dance except me. Although it wasn’t true, it was true enough. Others made it to the dance floor. The blind dance as well or as badly as any other group. But they certainly seem to have less issues about appearances! In this way, the blind shall lead me.