VISUALLY IMPAIRED ARTIST JOINS WOKINGHAM TRAIL
AN EARLEY woman is showcasing her work in the Wokingham Arts Trail this weekend.
Emma Major is one of 20 artists showcasing their creations across 12 locations in the borough.
After partiall losing her eyesight eight years ago, Ms Major decided to try lots of seemingly impossible things.
“Art was definitely considered impossible for anyone with as little eyesight as I have, but it turns out anything is possible if you try,” she said.
“Over the last few years I’ve tried sketching, painting, mosaic making, needle felting and even had a go at using resin with various degrees of success.”
Over lockdown in November last year, Ms Major experimented with digital painting on her iPad.
She had caught Covid-19, and is now living with the effects of long-covid. She said digital art has been a revelation during this time.
“To be honest, I’m not sure how I would have coped without it,” she said.
“With long-covid, I now have to spend a lot of time lying down, but I can still create using my iPad.
“I thought it would be wonderful to let people come and see how I paint.”
Ms Major said she hopes to share the joy of creativity with other people, especially anyone with a disability.
As part of this, she is running four special “have a go” sessions for disabled or visually impaired people, or anyone who struggles with traditional painting.
“Everyone is welcome to come along to see some of my paintings,” she said.
“If you bring along your iPad or tablet, perhaps we could have a go at creating a painting together.”
The “have a go” sessions will begin at 11am and 2pm on both days, and Ms Major has one spare iPad to lend to visitors.
Her art will be at venue 11 in Lower Earley from 10.30am to 5.30pm on Saturday and Sunday.
The full addresses for all 12 sites are available at:www. wokinghamartstrail.co.uk To book a “have
a go” session, email: emmuk74@gmail.com
Outside of the Wokingham Arts Trail, Ms Major’s art is being included in a Reading Museum exhibition this month, and 40 of her paintings about climate change are being displayed at the COP26 conference in Glasgow.