An artist who is registered blind is exhibiting a sculpture of her guide dog.
The BBC reported that Somerset-based artist Angela Charles has shown her art publicly since 1989 but has gradually lost her sight over the past 13 years.
A sculpture of her guide dog Flynn will feature in the Paws on the Wharf art trail in Canary Wharf until May 17.
Angela told the BBC: “I really lost my confidence. When I was matched with my guide dog it changed everything, and you can’t be miserable with a dog around.”
Angela said that she has always wanted to be an artist, and she worked as a curator for years, until she had to give it up due to her sight loss.
She said: “I now just paint, which surprises a lot of people. I just thought, nothing is going to stop me. A lot of the detail has gone, it’s more abstract, but I still really enjoy painting.”
Angela said she first noticed that she was going blind when she could not see well in the dark, and she then realised it was a bigger problem.
She was registered as blind six years ago with Retinitis Pigmentosa, and five years ago she got her guide dog Flynn.
She said: “I have some peripheral vision and my phone will read the colour of my paint tubes. Everyone else thought I would have to give it up but for me it’s something that’s just in me.”
Deborah Bourne, director at the charity Guide Dogs, who organised the art trail, added: “Paws on the Wharf is a first for Guide Dogs and will be an artistic event that everyone can enjoy – truly inclusive and a shared experience for all.”
