When Lisa Fittipaldi went blind at the age of forty-seven, she descended into a freefall of anger and denial that lasted for two years. In this moving memoir, she paints a vivid picture of the perceptual and emotional darkness that accompanied her vision loss, and her arduous journey back into the sighted world through mastery of the principles of art and color. The challenge of a child's watercolor set, thrown down like a gauntlet by her frustrated husband, opened the door to a new life. Discovering that her ability to master the small world of the canvas enabled her to navigate the wide world she'd lost, she painstakingly taught herself to draw and paint, substituting rigorous study of the principles of art and color theory for her lost vision. Lisa doesn't see color, distance, dimension, or print. Yet she depicts groups of people caught in the activities of daily living in astonishing detail and spectacular. She has sold over 500 original paintings internationally. Scientists and researchers seek out her insight into vision and perception. "I truly feel that unless blindness had toppled the carefully maintained edifice I called my life, there is no way that I would be the kinder, more fulfilled person I am today," Lisa writes, "I found my life's passion in paintin. Blindness took away my sight but gave me clarity of vision. It took blindness to teach me the meaning of love and friendship."
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Book Description
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About the Author
A trauma care nurse and CPA before she lost her sight, Lisa Fittipaldi, whom the London Telegraph calls "a rising star in the art world," began selling her work in 1996, first at local shows, then at art fairs around the country, and today on her Web site and in galleries all over the world. She has appeared on dozens of local and national television programs, granted radio and print interviews, and given speeches and demonstrations to both blind and sighted audiences. She founded the Mind's Eye Foundation in 1999 to provide specially equipped computers to vision- and hearing-impaired schoolchildren so they can remain in mainstream schools. She and her husband, Al, run a bed and breakfast in San Antonio, Tex.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Extraordinary and Inspirational!,
By
This review is from: Brush with Darkness: Learning to Paint After Losing My Sight (Hardcover)
As Lisa Fittipaldi's "art dealer extraordinaire," I was honored to be included in her touching account of how she overcame going blind and went on to produce such moving realism in her paintings. As I read the book, I found myself unable to put it down, despite the fact that I have known the artist for more than five years and thought I knew her whole story. This book shows Lisa's journey to re-enter the sighted world after going blind and how she used art to find that path. The following quotes from the jacket cover indicate how this book inspired Natalie Maines, Heloise, Kinky Freidman, and Rick Riordan.
"This book goes far beyond learning how a blind painter creates her works of art. It is an honest, heartfelt look at a woman who struggles to overcome her own faults and fears to find her authentic self." - Natalie Maines, lead singer of the Dixie Chicks "A truly inspirational story with highlights, lowlights, and lessons we can all learn from." - Heloise, international household hints columnist "Lisa Fittipaldi is a great artist who also happens to be blind. "A Brush with Darkness" is the story of how art imitates life, and how life imitates art, and how both are mirror reflections of the miracle that is the human spirit." - Kinky Friedman, singer, songwriter, and author "By turns poignant, enthralling, and uplifting, "A Brush with Darkness" is a tribute to human perseverance and creativity. Lisa Fittipaldi writes as she paints - with deft strokes and vibrant color." - Rick Riordan, Edgar Award-winning author
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant surprise.,
This review is from: Brush with Darkness: Learning to Paint After Losing My Sight (Hardcover)
I got so caught up in this story about a blind painter that I read it in one sitting. More than a compelling tale about overcoming adversity, `A Brush With Darkness' took me vividly into the world of blindness and helped me understand what it's like to live in a forbidding and inescapable blackness. Lisa Fittipaldi takes you step-by-step through the process by which she slowly learned to paint and, in doing so, learned to live again in the world. I highly recomend this book for anyone drepressed about their own little world.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Amazing Story,
By
This review is from: Brush with Darkness: Learning to Paint After Losing My Sight (Hardcover)
If you have ever wondered what it is like to be blind, "A Brush With Darkness" will bring that experience alive. Lisa Fittipaldi is a good storyteller, funny and insightful. She knew nothing about art before she lost her sight, so she had to learn everything about perspective and composition and color from scratch, in her own unique way, so her insights into art and painting are unique. Why did she learn to paint? Fittipaldi says that learning to master the world of a canvas helped her to `map' her environment so she could get around on her own. She makes you understand her quest to live in the sighted world. The author makes no bones about how angry and defensive she was for years, and how her experience transformed her life to the point where she says, incredibly, that she had accepted her blindness, and feels like she is a happier person today, with a richer and more fulfilling life. A good read.
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