More than 70 artists applied to the city of Garland to paint the third mural in the recently designated Bankhead Cultural Arts District. John Bramblitt, from Denton, was selected by a panel comprised of the property owner, a city staff member, a Cultural Arts Commission member and a community volunteer.
The mural will be located at the corner of State and Seventh streets on a wall shared by the recently constructed city parking lot and the side wall of the Visual Aid Volunteers (VAV) building. VAV is a nonprofit organization that provides Braille translation services.
What makes the selection of Bramblitt special, in addition to his extraordinary talent, is that he lost his sight in 2001.
In a previous interview, Bramblitt shared that when he first lost his sight, he didn’t think he would be able to do anything.
“I thought my life was over. I was a student, and my whole goal became just not being a burden on my family. I thought if I worked really hard maybe I wouldn’t be a burden,” he said. “My family and community didn’t give up on me and the people around me and the people in school didn’t give up on me. They believed in me at a time when I didn’t, so I started believing in myself. I started believing them.”
Bramblitt also said that the talents of people with disabilities should never be underestimated.
He is now a world-renowned artist. His work has sold in over 120 countries, and he has been honored with Presidential Service Awards for his art workshops.
The artist uses his sense of touch to distinguish the paint colors on his palette. He mixes an ingredient into the paints to add separate thicknesses and weights that add a different feel for each color.
Bramblitt’s work is unique and beautiful with its bright colors and character. Some of his past work is featured here and visit www.bramblitt.com to see more examples.
According to the city of Garland, the target date for mural completion is Saturday, April 6, which is the day of the city’s Big Art Day.
About: John Bramblitt is an artist living in Denton Texas. His art has been sold in over one hundred and twenty countries and he has appeared internationally in print, TV and radio. He has appeared on CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, ABC, NBC, FOX, Discovery Channel and BBC 
Radio and TV to name a few outlets, and he’s been featured in The New York Times and Psychology Today as well as designed the artwork for numerous magazine covers and even the artwork for major film productions. He’s the subject of the award winning documentary shorts “Line of Sight’ and “Bramblitt.” His work has received much recognition including the ‘Most Inspirational Video of 2008′ from YouTube and three Presidential Service Awards for his innovative art workshops. And John is blind. – www.bramblitt.com
About: Visual Aid Volunteers began in the fall of 1960 with a pilot project approved by the Garland School Board and the Texas Education Agency. Volunteers, including parents of visually impaired children and motivated civic leaders, came together to form Visual Aid Volunteers. The pilot program agreement established that this volunteer group would provide all braille materials for visually impaired students of Garland ISD. As a result of this initiative, GISD became the first school district in Texas to have blind and low-vision students attend public schools alongside their sighted peers. VAV incorporated in 1962 as a nonprofit and hired their first director, Ina King, shortly after. Since that time, Visual Aid Volunteers has worked continuously to provide quality braille products for visually impaired students of all ages. – https://www.vavtx.org/about-us/#our-history