Blind Artists in the World

Around the world there are blind and visually impaired people breaking paradigms and showcasing their artistic talent in music, literature and painting, just to name a few. Today we will introduce you to some blind artists who are making an impact in the art industry with their talent and achievements.

John Bramblitt

John is an artist living in Denton Texas, his art has been sold in over one hundred and twenty countries and he has appeared internationally in print, TV and radio. While art was always a major part of John's life it was not until he lost his sight in 2001 that he began to paint, and it was then that he says, "Art reshaped my life."

Diane Schuur

Schuur discovered the world of jazz through his father, who played the piano, and his mother, who had a large collection of records by Duke Ellington and Dinah Washington. Thanks to her privileged ear, she began teaching herself how to play the piano and at age 10 she gave her first concert. She now has a variety of musical achievements, including awards and Grammy nominations.

Nahuel Pennisi

Nahuel went from being a street musician to becoming a Latin Grammy nominated artist for his album Primavera (Sony Music Argentina), and today he hobnobs with the greatest musicians.

Casey Harri

Casey Harris is one-third of the alt-rock trio X Ambassadors, a band he formed with his brother and lead vocalist, Sam Harris. He's also been legally blind since birth. In the band, Harris plays keyboards, but the lifelong musician also plays a fundamental role in their songwriting, production, and engineering. At times, he even provides the primary motivation for the direction XA takes with their projects.

Michael A. Williams

He has been drawing and painting since the age of 10. Mr. Williams credits his mother for encouraging him to pursue his interest in art. He also stated that he became fascinated with art by watching his mother use markers to draw a cowboy on horseback riding off toward the sunset. That's when he knew that art would become his calling.

Jeff Hanson

His love for painting began during his chemotherapy treatment and has continued to flourish until today. Hanson specializes in acrylic on canvas and enjoys painting bright geometric shapes. His paintings are sold at charity functions throughout the country.

José Ramón Argelés Escofet

He began his artistic training at the School of Arts and Crafts of Sabadell. He has taken countless courses in modeling, sculpture and painting, alternating with his profession as an Architect. Affected by macular degeneration, he continued to develop his artistic activity.

Petra Agüero Luis

Her vocation started since childhood. Her artistic production is influenced by the passion she felt towards the history of her hometown (Santander, Spain). She thought of watercolor as a challenge, using it as if it was oil painting and capturing the memories and experiences mixed in her memory; always influenced by her hometown, until the end of her days.

Teresa Jou Paulet

Drawing teacher and graduate in Fine Arts. Affected by macular degeneration, that ended in loss of central vision, this condition makes her to use sharp, bright and luminous colors. Her go-to nowadays is watercolor since with it she manages to reflect more quickly what she wants to paint. It has provided her with a procedural facility and a freedom of action that she had not discovered before.

Jose Feliciano

Regarded as a virtuoso player of the Spanish guitar, and with his powerful and unmistakable voice he has performed and released over 600 songs. His record sales are estimated at 50 million copies He has been awarded more than forty-five Gold and Platinum records. He has received countless Grammy Award nominations, which he has won nine times, including one for his artistic career.

ONCE, the organization that renews every year its vocation of service towards blind people or people with other disabilities to improve their personal autonomy and their quality of life, tells us about eleven blind or severely visually impaired painters who demonstrate that it is possible to make brushstrokes from the dark; thus showing their paintings in the exhibition of the Typhological Museum. The exhibited works have titles in Braille, and are provided with QR codes and with information accessible to blind or visually impaired people through mobile phones.