21-year-old Jeffrey Hanson creates paintings that are so strikingly vivid, it's astonishing to learn that the artist lives with a visual impairment that allows him to only vaguely make out shapes and colors in everyday life. Although legally blind, the painter has used his unique talents to produce over 1,400 stunning works of art, many of which sell for thousands of dollars and end up in the collections of famous fans like Warren Buffett and Elton John.
When he was younger, Hanson was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis, a genetic condition that caused an optic nerve tumor and severe loss of vision. While undergoing chemotherapy, the Overland Park, Kansas resident started to paint notecards–a therapeutic hobby that eventually turned into a successful business when Hanson began selling them at a makeshift stand in his family's driveway. Since then, his self-established enterprise has flourished amazingly, as evidenced by his six-month backlog of commissions and his track record of raising over $1,000,000 for philanthropic causes since the age of 19.
How does Hanson create each signature piece? Like many other visually impaired artists, the 21-year-old relies on texture to produce spectacularly sculptural paintings that give flat canvases a 3D surface. First, Hanson slathers a thick layer of plastic substance onto his canvas. Once that hardens, he coats the material with a layer of flat black. From there on, he can use the ridges of the surface to guide him around the artwork. The results are beautifully vibrant, abstract paintings that demand to be experienced through sight and touch.
<a href=”http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/john-bramblitt-blind-painter”><a href=”http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/john-bramblitt-blind-painter”><br /> </a><a href=”http://www.jeffreyowenhanson.com”><strong><strong>Jeffrey Hanson's website</strong></strong></a><br /> <a href=”https://www.facebook.com/Jeffrey.Owen.Hanson”><strong><strong>Jeffrey Hanson on Facebook</strong></strong></a><br /> via [<a href=”http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/31/jeff-hanson-artwork_n_6970682.html?utm_hp_ref=good-news”>Huffington Post</a>], [<a href=”http://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-blind-artists-altruistic-vision/”>CBS News</a>] <p></p></a> <p></p>
