Clarke Reynolds
Blind Braille Artist
Seeing without Seeing
Clarke Reynolds visual art by a blind artist
Seeing without seeing is a tagline that describes my art. Not only can you see the art but you can touch it as well making it accessible to visually impaired people. Inspired by the sounds around us including the English language and how we communicate through words.
The seeingwithoutseeing.com site provides information about upcoming shows, exhibitions and images of past projects, as well as information about my artistic journey from dream to realisation
My Story
Art is my life and as a child there was no other career for me. It started when I saw the painting 'the yellow cow' by the artist Franz Marc it opened up my imagination of what art can be.
I was born with limited sight in my right eye but that never stopped me doing what I love which is being creative unfortunately due to kidney problems I had to leave school early however I fought back and studied art at a higher level gaining a BA honour's degree in model making.
I was a dental model maker I loved my job and creating art in my spare time then the worst thing that could happen for a visual person I start to lose my sight in my other eye. I had to give up my job and was left in limbo.
I still had my passion for art but found it hard to engage with the materials I previously used as I couldn't see what I was doing. Then I stumbled across textiles and realised that by touching them I felt connected with my artistic process. I took it one step further by sowing with wool allowing me to add layers to build up a picture like a painter does with paint and as a painter uses his eyes to what he can see as his inspiration I on the other hand use sound as my muse using different fabrics that have a connection with the sound you hear.
I found out that I wanted my art to be experienced by everyone no matter their visual impairment so my art is fully accessible through sound and touch.
My art has changed a lot as my sight decreases but one thing has always stayed the same the use of dots in my work as I've always been a fan of pointillism and I always say to people I see threw a thousand dots now the dots mean something as I've discovered Braille. I use this form of writing in my artwork trying to push the boundaries of what Braille was intended for using the English language and how we say words there descriptive power and using the dots as a vessel to bring that word to life threw Braille my hope is to highlight visual impairment through my artistic language.
My story as an artist has just began and I hope one day people will talk about me in the same vein as Picasso who changed people's perception of art that is my dream to be recognised as an artist that pushes boundaries
My Artistic Journey
The Power of Touch
January 2023
A dream come true waited 20 years to have my first solo exhibition in London and at Quantus gallery which means new beginnings. An apt word as I believe my life has just started. This exhibition embodied my practice and ethos that art is for everyone series of new works that made you think about visual and tactile allowing you too touch art that would be sold on to collectors knowing that it had been handled by hundreds of hands added value to the art and the story of been visually impaired. Wanting to give power back to a blind person in a visual world as these Fab too touch pieces echo you only see an ice lolly but a blind person sees more as they read the story through touch...and the engagement with many schools coming and the sight loss community accessing the art. Plus a became semi famous over the month being on many TV outlets allowing me to be seen too make a difference and thats important...
Journey by Dots
April 2022 to June
This exhibition is the biggest and the most important in my art life. It started as a six year old going to an art gallery called Aspex and 35 years later I have my first exhibition at a contemporary gallery and it so happens to be at Aspex....so the art was based around that journey of a young child loosing his sight in one eye to an adult who is going fully blind and how art saved my life through all the obstacles put in my way. There are three journeys were you can see my path in neon braille under UV light but if you really want to no me as a person you have to you have to touch the art to read the emotional journey which is redacted black braille. it also included tactile braille pavement slabs that you can sit and stand on
The Power of Morphing Communication
January 2023
All I can say about this project, it's been the most enjoyable and important piece I have ever created. Standing proud in London in partnership with Whizzkidz and Wild In Art this six foot tall Morph was part of the epic Morph adventures. With 56 other sculptures adorned around London In a first step free sculpture trail. My Morph was made to look like my braille suit and his white cane and glasses. The front was inspirational words such as INCLUSION and on the back the whole alphabet. he response has been fantastic raising awareness around sight loss and how a blind person is perceived in the creative industry. In three months over half a million people have interacted with him.
Dot to Dog
March-May 2024
how much is that doggy in the window...
well for the Paws on the Wharf trail I was honoured to be asked to take part in this special sculpture trail around Canary Wharf for guide dogs for the blind. On this Blank model which was based on an actual guide dog i created this eye bending pattern filled with thousands of dots. Inspired by the colour blindness tests as a child where your asked what number can you see...well in my design its what letter can you feel. Embedded in the purple paw prints is the braille alphabet and the only way to find them is too touch the dog . I specifically used colours that i couldnt see lol and at this time its all colours except YELLOW
5 Degrees of Vision
January-May 2024
My second solo exhibition in London spanned two sites supported by Grove gallery who represents me 5 degrees of vision opened up in the Dorsett Hotel in shepards bush which ran till the end of May sandwiched in February at Grove gallery. The title came from how much sight i have left as its measured in degrees when visited your stepping into retro arcade games such as Pac-Man space invaders and Tetris inspired by my life as a blind person it feels like if ive survived the day without getting run over its a win just like playing these retro games. And thats the stories in these pieces from how i was told i was going blind to being confused on the london underground even what are sight loss conditions there is visual and tactile journeys abundant... just dont get caught by Pinkey the ghost
The American Way.... Words
March-June 2024 in Wichita USA
My first international solo exhibition in the USA for a sight loss organisation Envision not only an exhibition but a three week residency meeting the community and doing workshops in Wichita culminating in a three month exhibition that opened in April with the very first oversized colour coded braille scrabble so sighted people can play through colour and learn braille whilst your visually impaired friends can play through touch truly inclusive. Using my colour coded braille braille i created 52 plaques 26 the english words and 26 the american version for instance Biscuit and Cookie...and then theres a little whimsical description allowing the view to decode the art learn the braille and then in a gallery setting play the best game of scrabble ever... this exhibition has raised 10 thousand pound for two loss charities Envision in USA and VICTA in Uk
Upcoming Events
April 5th June 25thWichitaApril 5th June 25thWichita, 801 E Douglas Ave Suite 106, Wichita, KS 67202, USA- Wed, 15 MayDurham15 May 2024, 19:00 – 23:00Durham, Elvet Hill Rd, South Rd, Durham DH1 3TH, UK