People often dismiss with incredulity the famous story of music composer Ludwig van Beethoven, who lost his hearing yet continued listening to his own productions by feeling the vibrations of the instruments. It can be hard to believe that anyone could transcend the senses like this, but parallel stories suggest that artists will find a way. Painter John Bramblitt, for instance, has proved against all odds that if one’s dream to paint is big enough not even blindness can preclude success.
From afar, Bramblitt’s paintings depict mundane scenery with vibrancy yet unexplored. However, what makes them more remarkable is the fact that Bramblitt is blind. Although he had not previously wished to pursue art as a career, after his disability set in it became his dream as he regained inspiration and his other work options rapidly closed.
But how does he manage to obtain such vivid color combinations without seeing the results? Although he cannot visualize color itself, he still possesses an intact light perception, which strengthens his ability to recognize light sources and thus paint scenes more accurately. In addition, Bramblitt has discovered that his sense of touch allows him to recognize the texture of the different oil paints.
Bramblitt possesses synesthesia, a condition in which music, a main source for inspiration for the artist, reminds him of colors. For Bramblitt, listening to Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’s “Uptown Funk” produces a little orange and a little blue at the beginning of the song, followed by purple mixed with yellow when the vocals start. The contrast he hears between the voice and the base can be equated to contrast between color tones that he paints.
Bramblitt is the epitome of overcoming the odds and pursuing a path not expected or even thought possible, and serves as an inspiration to all.
