Can you detect light?
Yes, I do have light perception, but I cannot see shadows or color. My understanding is that 95% of visually impaired people have some light perception, and that unless the optic nerve is completely severed or the actual orb is destroyed then light perception can occur. Perception of light for me is more of a nerve stimulus in that my eyes will take in light causing a signal to be sent down the optical nerve, but when it arrives at the occipital lobe (the area of the brain that handles vision) it is unable to be processed; often light causes me pain, almost like a raw nerve is being pressed. If you were out on a warm sunny day you might know that the sun was shining, even if you were wearing a blind fold, by the feel of the sun's warmth on your skin -- this is much the way light perception is for me. I can ‘feel’ that there is a presence of light with my eyes, but it does not translate into vision.
How do you paint without eyesight?
When it comes to handling color I typically use one of two methods. The first I used primarily with oil paints. Because oil paints are made from different substances they have a viscosity and texture that varies slightly from color to color. By adding medians to the pain such as Liquin and paint thinners I can alter the way the paint feels even more. For example: Titanium White is very thick like toothpaste while Ivory Black is fairly runny - more like oil. By adding a little thinner you can make it even more so. In order to mix a gray halfway between white and black you simply mix for a texture that is halfway between the thick and thin paints. This is actually a very precise way of mixing color because your sense of touch is extremely adept at sensing subtle changes in texture. With practice it becomes even more so.
The other method is more like using a recipe. Paints such as watercolors, acrylics, inks, and resin-based paints all feel similar to the touch, and changing the texture can make these paints difficult to use. All of the bottles and paint tubes in my studio are Brailled, and when mixing colors I use recipes.In other words I will measure out different portions of each color that I need to produce the right hue. This is no different than using a recipe to bake a cake. If you use the right ingredients in the right proportions then the results will always be the same.
