Susan says: I have been blind since birth, and my usual way of expressing myself is through the written word by Braille or through the typewriter keyboard. I enjoyed working with Dianne Stewart, my assistant, a cousin and former art teacher. My husband, also a contributor to this Tactile Colour experience, has a greater understanding of the sighted world as his vision loss came about as an adult.

Experience Making This Piece:
Dianne, talked me through the experience of colour and perspective - in other words, to the sighted person colour and shadow play a greater part in understanding what is being looked at. Just as the blind person uses sound, touch and intuition, so does colour and shadow guide those with sight. Dianne needed to simplify her descriptions into language with references. I appreciate Dianne's help and the realization that trees work well for me as I see their shade as I am able to see light and dark. Her help was invaluable to me as we learned to speak each other's art language. The idea of spring flowers rising from snow is a fantasy, as in the tales of Narnia described by C.S. Lewis. This picture represents hope for the future and happy heavenly forever time.

Tactile Colour Used: Dashed line purple, raised line pink, hard bumpy yellow, gridded black, rough gritty green.

Tactile Description:
A smooth white background of plain card represents a snowy field. There are stylized flowers pushing up through the snow, in pieces of dashed line purple, raised line pink and hard bumpy yellow. Above the flowers is a gia2:04 PM 25/08/2008nt tree in gridded black with circular shapes in rough gritty green representing large branches and leaf clusters.

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