London, Ontario artist rediscovers passion for painting after losing sight – London | The Canadian News

An artist from London, Ontario has been reunited with her love of art during the COVID-19 pandemic after losing her sight years ago.

Courtney Johnson found out at a young age that she had a chronic illness.

Then, at age 18, he lost his vision.

“One day I woke up, walked into my kitchen and went blind,” Johnson told 980 CFPL’s Mike Stubbs in london live. “My optic nerves swelled up and caused some nerve damage.”

Johnson recalled going through a “dark time” after losing her sight, but things got better when she attended a school for the blind, met her husband and they started a family together.

“Throughout that process, I’ve tried to take whatever darkness is in my life and turn it into something bright and positive.”

Though she’s always loved art, Johnson says it was battling mental health challenges that reunited her with an old passion.

“I had a mental breakdown at the beginning of COVID,” he explains.

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“My children and my husband continued to inspire me to do what I loved, and that is paint. I never thought I would buy art supplies again after going blind.”

And so Johnson began to paint using the color vision he has. He started playing with paints, “and now it has become a life aspiration for me.”

The artist describes her color vision as “looking at a frosted window with ice outside,” where she sees some color but no definition.

“I mix my paints with a medium to turn it into a liquid and layer in different colors,” explains Johnson. “While I’m pouring it in, he decides to make his own pattern. I manipulate it around the canvas (and) it turns out the way it wants to turn out.”

Johnson has joined tik tok and has found a supportive community online.

“I never thought anyone would want to see artwork by a blind girl,” she laughed. “So far, it’s been positive (and) it’s another driving force that keeps me going.”

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