[Artists-making-art] Introduction from Jewel

Sun Dec 4 06:48:26 UTC 2011

Jewel, please forgive the slow response. I'm catching up on e-mail. I've been traveling, and of course, typical me - got sick on the road. I guess it wouldn't be a trip without drama and adding a new hospital to my tour of great American hospitals! Groan! 

Anyway, I'm envious of all the creativity here, and all the really interesting and creative ways people are doing art. I love what I do, but I certianly wouldn't mind expanding my horizons and learning new things! I already have learned some things I hope to try out when life settles down a bit. 

My mom was an art teacher. When I was a baby, she'd buy these big roles of newsprint and lay me in the middle with jumbo crayons. 

Growing up, everyone pointed to my artwork to "prove" I wasn't really "blind" and didn't really need all of the services that entailed. In a strange sort of way, being good at something strictly "visual" has bitten me in the butt over the years. 

My vision is 20/400. I have a rare form of albinism called Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome. It also involves a lot of other health issues etc. For us, perhaps the best way to explain our vision is that everyone else is looking at the world through the newest, greatest high definition TV, while we're using the 1950s set (only we do see color.) We don't see details well. Over the years, I've learned to study what I'm going to paint ahead of time. I look at photos (or take my own) and use magnification to study them until I pretty much almost have them memorized - but in peices. Then, when I paint, I put the picture together in my head and put in details that actually if I were looking at the subject, I very well might not really see. When I can't see something, I just make up something to put in it's place. 

I love to draw, and am really anxious to try some of the drawing boards people have spoken about. 

Heather Kirkwood
Director of Outreach, Vice President
Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome Network
One South Road
Oyster Bay, NY 11771
1 (800) 789-9HPS
www.hpsnetwork.org

Personal blog: www.heatherkirkwood.blogspot.com

Search the Web at www.goodsearch.com and choose the HPS Network as your charity! 

HPS New York Conference - March 16-18, 2012

--- On Mon, 11/28/11, Jewel <herekittykat2 at gmail.com> wrote:

From: Jewel <herekittykat2 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Artists-making-art] Introduction from Jewel
To: "An exploration of art by and for blind persons" <artists-making-art at nfbnet.org>
Date: Monday, November 28, 2011, 6:47 PM

Heather,
I'm so envious about you doing painting. I don't feel I can do
painting anymore, because I'm nearly totally blind...besides, what's
the fun of doing art that you can't enjoy yourself? I used to do
professional painting, though, particuarly medieval illuminations.

On 11/28/11, Bridgit Pollpeter <bpollpeter at hotmail.com> wrote:
> Heather,
>
> Nice to meet you. I always wanted to be able to paint as my uncle, mom
> and brother have the ability, but I can barely draw a stick figure,
> smile! My sister is an amazing photographer, but since having a baby and
> getting married while a senior in high school, she's quit doing it. I've
> been trying to encourage her to get back into it, but she has some crazy
> idea that she has to give up on all her dreams.
>
> We're not terribly far away as I'm about 3, or 4, hours away (depending
> on how fast you drive) from one another. I'm in Omaha, Nebraska. KC has
> a huge art community, and so does Omaha, which is not widely known for
> some reason. No farmers and cornfields in Omaha. We have an annual arts
> festival each summer in our beautiful downtown area along with art
> exhibits in various locations throughout the year. We also off the
> Beemis Center, which host artists from around the world supporting the
> arts as well as providing artists an opportunity to work on their
> material. We also have a huge music and theatre community catering to
> many, many tastes.
>
> Welcome, and hopefully we can work to build an awesome community here!
>
> Sincerely,
> Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
> Read my blog at:
> http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/
>
> "History is not what happened; history is what was written down."
> The Expected One- Kathleen McGowan
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: artists-making-art-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:artists-making-art-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Heather
> Kirkwood
> Sent: Monday, November 28, 2011 12:57 PM
> To: An exploration of art by and for blind persons
> Subject: Re: [Artists-making-art] Introduction from Jewel
>
>
>
> Hello Jewel,
> Glad to meet you. I was also excited to hear about this list. I haven't
> been able to make it to a national convention in years I'm very sorry to
> say, so I missed the exhibit.
>
> I live in Kansas City and worked as a journalist for more than a decade.
> A few years ago I had to quit working because of various medical issues.
> The up side was it gives me more time to work on my artwork. I do mostly
> acrylic and watercolor painting, although some more crafty things here
> and there. I have some photos of some of my artwork on facebook. The
> photos, however, aren't that great. I don't have the equipment to do
> really nice professional shots.
>
> https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.40809269878.48618.564064878
> <https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.40809269878.48618.564064878&t
> ype=1> &type=1
>
>
> Heather Kirkwood
> Director of Outreach, Vice President
> Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome Network
> One South Road
> Oyster Bay, NY 11771
> 1 (800) 789-9HPS
> www.hpsnetwork.org <http://www.hpsnetwork.org/>
>
> Personal blog: www.heatherkirkwood.blogspot.com
> <http://www.heatherkirkwood.blogspot.com/>
>
> Search the Web at www.goodsearch.com <http://www.goodsearch.com/>  and
> choose the HPS Network as your charity!
>
> HPS New York Conference - March 16-18, 2012
>
>
> --- On Mon, 11/28/11, Jewel <herekittykat2 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> From: Jewel <herekittykat2 at gmail.com>
> Subject: [Artists-making-art] Introduction from Jewel
> To: artists-making-art at nfbnet.org
> Date: Monday, November 28, 2011, 10:04 AM
>
>
> Dear list,
> My name is Jewel. I am 26 years old and live in Raleigh, North
> Carolina. I am very happy to see this list started and will look
> forward to the potential startup of an artists' division.
>
> I heard about the possible division at the national convention, where
> I enjoyed the art exhibit and hands-on fun. (I was the one that made
> the clay elephant). I very much enjoyed talking to Mrs. Cunningham and
> the others, and hope that you will all be on this list as well.
>
> Here's to a great list,
> Jewel
>
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