Shouting in the Dark: My Journey Back to the Light Hardcover - 2012

From the rear cover

John Bramblitt is an artist. His vibrant paintings have been sold in over twenty countries, and he's received three Presidential Service Awards for the art workshops he teaches. He's painted portraits of skateboarder Tony Hawk and blues legend Pops Carter. He's given talks about his work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and there has even been a documentary film made about him. And . . . he's blind.When Bramblitt was declared legally blind ten years ago due to complications with epilepsy, his hopes for his future shattered and he sank into a deep depression. Disconnected from family and friends, he felt alienated, angry, and alone. He felt invisible. But then something amazing happened--he discovered painting. He learned to distinguish between different colored paints by feeling their textures with his fingertips. He taught himself how to paint using raised lines to find his way around the canvas, and working for sixteen hours a day, month after month, he painted his way back to life. Now this method of haptic visualization, which enables him to see his subjects through touch, has allowed him to paint amazingly lifelike portraits of people he's never seen before--including his wife and son. Shouting in the Dark is the story of Bramblitt's life, his struggles with epilepsy, his race against time as he prepares for complete vision loss, and his determination to find a way out of the engulfing shadows of blindness. And ultimately it is the heartwarming story of how he rekindles his capacity for joy, hope, and relationships through art. Full of raw emotion, honesty, and humor, Bramblitt challenges readers to rethink their perceptions of blindness and what it means to truly see.

From the jacket flap

John Bramblitt is an artist. His vibrant paintings have been sold in over twenty countries, and he's received three Presidential Service Awards for the art workshops he teaches. He's painted portraits of skateboarder Tony Hawk and blues legend Pops Carter. He's given talks about his work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and there has even been a documentary film made about him. And . . . he's blind.When Bramblitt was declared legally blind ten years ago due to complications with epilepsy, his hopes for his future shattered and he sank into a deep depression. Disconnected from family and friends, he felt alienated, angry, and alone. He felt invisible. But then something amazing happened--he discovered painting. He learned to distinguish between different colored paints by feeling their textures with his fingertips. He taught himself how to paint using raised lines to find his way around the canvas, and working for sixteen hours a day, month after month, he painted his way back to life. Now this method of haptic visualization, which enables him to "see" his subjects through touch, has allowed him to paint amazingly lifelike portraits of people he's never seen before--including his wife and son. Shouting in the Dark is the story of Bramblitt's life, his struggles with epilepsy, his race against time as he prepares for complete vision loss, and his determination to find a way out of the engulfing shadows of blindness. And ultimately it is the heartwarming story of how he rekindles his capacity for joy, hope, and relationships through art. Full of raw emotion, honesty, and humor, Bramblitt challenges readers to rethink their perceptions of blindness and what it means to truly see.

Media reviews

Citations

• Kirkus Reviews, 07/01/2012, Page 0