A Port Alberni artist will have her work exhibited at an upcoming show in the United States.
Painter Rose Kamma Morrison is an artist with vision loss. Four of her recent paintings have been selected for the Passionate Focus art exhibit in Chicago, IL, which starts May 1, 2025 at the Fairmont Hotel. An art auction will take place on the same day. This can be found online at one.bidpal.net/pf2025.
This exhibit takes place each year, as artists with vision loss submit their work and a jury of professionals selects the work to be included in the exhibit.
"It's quite prestigious," said Kamma Morrison. "I've been taking part in it since 2011. It is a juried art show, and I've won a couple of awards now, which is exciting."
One of her pieces, "Storyteller and the Girl with the Red Ball," won the Judi Jasek Jurors' Choice Award (Second Place) in this year's show. The piece is part of Kamma Morrison's Blindfold Series, where she blindfolds herself before she begins painting.
"The Blindfold Series started about three years ago," she explained. "Because I'm losing my vision, I wanted to see what it's like to paint with no vision at all. In my mind's eye, I see what direction I can move the paint in. I'm just starting to learn spatial awareness on the page, and now I'm developing shape."
After placing alcohol ink on the page, Kamma Morrison removes the blindfold and sees what she can create. The work is usually "very abstract," she says.
Kamma Morrison was diagnosed with Usher syndrome when she was 16 years old. Usher syndrome is made up of two parts: hearing loss and vision loss.
"I was born with moderate-to-severe hearing loss," explained Kamma Morrison. "I wore hearing aids all my life. Then as a teen, I started to notice that I couldn't see in the dark anymore. It wasn't until I was in my 40s that I really started to notice the loss of my vision."
Kamma Morrison's vision loss is caused by retinitis pigmentosa, which makes cells in the retina break down over time. It's a progressive disease, which means it causes a slow loss of peripheral vision. Kamma Morrison describes it as "like looking through a straw."
Now, in the "late stage" of retinitis pigmentosa, Kamma Morrison has "severe" periphery loss and is considered legally blind.
"I never really let it define me or limit me," said Kamma Morrison. "If I want to try something, I do it. I always find adaptations. I want to be able to educate people that people with vision loss can do whatever they want to do."
Kamma Morrison says adaptations in technology have allowed her to continue her artwork despite her vision loss. She uses her smartphone for reference photos and has specialized lighting tools to keep her art room well-lit.
"Being organized is really important," she said. "If I drop something, that's a nightmare to try and find it again."
Kamma Morrison usually paints in alcohol ink, which is a "really challenging medium," she says.
"I put the ink on a specialized piece of paper, then blow with a straw to manipulate the ink," she explained. "When I see something coming out of it, I start creating shapes with isopropyl alcohol and Q-tips — household stuff, nothing fancy. It is a very difficult medium to control and requires a lot of patience."
Kamma Morrison started out painting in a realism style, with acrylic paint and watercolours, but as her eyesight diminished, she found her artwork becoming more abstract.
"I had to let go of how I used to paint," she said. "It has definitely opened a whole new world for me when it comes to creating."
Born and raised in Port Alberni, Kamma Morrison says she finds that the Alberni Valley is a "blank canvas" for all sorts of creative inspiration. Outside of this upcoming exhibit, Kamma Morrison can often be spotted at craft fairs in the Alberni Valley.
She can also be found on social media: Rose Kamma Morrison on Facebook and @rosetkmo on Instagram, where she often has art demos. Kamma Morrison is also partnered with the art agency ArtLifting.
