Local artist hopes to help improve accessibility of art

Visually accessible art A Local artist with vision issues uses cellphone to zoom in on brushstrokes and help create her art, CTV’s Lexi Benedict reports.

Barrie — Orillia's Robyn Rennie has found an alternative way to create art.

After losing most of her vision, the artist turned to technology.

“Within six days, I was completely blind. It just shut down my optic nerve,” Rennie said.

She was able to gain back some of her vision by doing an experimental treatment, but it’s still a challenge.

Rennie was forced to change the way she painted.

She now uses a variety of materials, textures, and finishes to make her abstract 3D and interactive.

“I started to paint in a way that I see the world now, and it’s working,” she said.

The artist has made it her mission to help those with no vision or low vision experience art in a way they never thought possible.

“I had an app created that people can download onto their phones. They can come into the gallery, point at the QR code, and then there will be a description that they can listen to,‘‘ she said.

Her art gallery is taking place in Toronto from Feb. 1 to Feb. 13 at the Cedar Ridge Creative Centre.

Rennie says it’s open to the public, and people are welcome to give the app a try.