Book Description
When Lisa Fittipaldi went blind at the age of forty-seven, she descended into a freefall of anger and denial that lasted for two years. In this moving memoir, she paints a vivid picture of the perceptual and emotional darkness that accompanied her vision loss, and her arduous journey back into the sighted world through mastery of the principles of art and color. The challenge of a child's watercolor set, thrown down like a gauntlet by her frustrated husband, opened the door to a new life. Discovering that her ability to master the small world of the canvas enabled her to navigate the wide world she'd lost, she painstakingly taught herself to draw and paint, substituting rigorous study of the principles of art and color theory for her lost vision. Lisa doesn't see color, distance, dimension, or print. Yet she depicts groups of people caught in the activities of daily living in astonishing detail and spectacular color. She has sold over 500 original paintings internationally. Scientists and researchers seek out her insight into vision and perception. "I truly feel that unless blindness had toppled the carefully maintained edifice I called my life, there is no way that I would be the kinder, more fulfilled person I am today," Lisa writes. "I found my life's passion in painting. Blindness took away my sight but gave me clarity of vision. It took blindness to teach me the meaning of love and friendship."

About the Author
A trauma care nurse and CPA before she lost her sight, Lisa Fittipaldi, whom the London Telegraph calls "a rising star in the art world," began selling her work in 1996, first at local shows, then at art fairs around the country, and today on her Web site and in galleries all over the world. She has appeared on dozens of local and national television programs, granted radio and print interviews, and given speeches and demonstrations to both blind and sighted audiences. She founded the Mind's Eye Foundation in 1999 to provide specially equipped computers to vision- and hearing-impaired schoolchildren so they can remain in mainstream schools. She and her husband, Al, run a bed and breakfast in San Antonio, Tex.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review from Discover Great New Writers
Few disabilities are more terrifying to imagine than the loss of one's sight. How fascinating, then, to read Lisa Fittipaldi's thoughtful memoir, in which she describes how blindness not only led her to a new career as an artist but also enabled her to become a better friend, a more committed wife, and a happier person.

Fittipaldi was 47 when, on her way to work one morning, the world suddenly went black. In gripping detail, she re-creates the frightening scene -- miraculously driving her car off the crowded highway, then waiting until her vision slowly returned. Several doctors' appointments and medical tests later, she received a grim diagnosis: She was suffering from a vascular disorder that would soon leave her permanently blind.

A long period of denial followed -- during which she nearly set her house on fire -- and an even longer period of depression. But her husband's gift of a child's paint set opened a door that Fittipaldi would never have otherwise "seen," as she discovered her ability to paint realistic images relying on her memory and her other senses, which grew more acute with each passing day. Today, Fittipaldi is a successful artist and lecturer and heads a foundation that helps vision- and hearing-impaired children. She also operates a B&B with her husband in Texas. (Spring 2005 Selection)

SYNOPSIS

In A Brush with Darkness, former CPA Lisa Fittipaldi shares her inspiring story of personal and perceptual transformation from the day her vision failed in 1993 to today, when she is recognized as the world's only profoundly blind realist painter.

When Lisa Fittipaldi went blind at the age of forty-seven, she descended into a freefall of anger and denial that lasted for two years. In this moving memoir, she paints a vivid picture of the perceptual and emotional darkness that accompanied her vision loss, and her arduous journey back into the sighted world through mastery of the principles of art and color.

The challenge of a child's watercolor set, thrown down like a gauntlet by her frustrated husband, opened the door to a new life. Discovering that her ability to master the small world of the canvas enabled her to navigate the wide world she'd lost, she painstakingly taught herself to draw and paint, substituting rigorous study of the principles of art and color theory for her lost vision.

Lisa doesn't see color, distance, dimension, or print. Yet she depicts groups of people caught in the activities of daily living in astonishing detail and spectacular color. She has sold over 500 original paintings internationally. Scientists and researchers seek out her insight into vision and perception.

"I truly feel that unless blindness had toppled the carefully maintained edifice I called my life, there is no way that I would be the kinder, more fulfilled person I am today," Lisa writes. "I found my life's passion in painting. Blindness took away my sight but gave me clarity of vision. It took blindness to teach me the meaning of love and friendship."

FROM THE CRITICS

Children's Literature - Della A. Yannuzzi