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Bernard "Bernie" Petruzziello
a Blind Artist
The artwork you see on this web page is work I have done
since 1996 when I lost my vision to retinitis pigmentosa
(RP).
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Bernie's Paintings |
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Bernie's Paintings |
RP is a degenerative disease that I was first
diagnosed with in the 1970s. Although I can no longer see, I still vividly
remember colors. When I lost my sight, I dabbled in other art forms such as
sculpture and textile arts, but my real passion is painting. With my loss of
sight, my method of painting has also changed. My pieces are obviously more
abstract, but the change is more than that. My painting feels freer to me
now. Before I felt like I had to adhere to the "rules" of painting. Now,
with the help of other artists and my wife, I mix my own colors, measure my
canvas, and think about what colors to use. My painting is much more
emotional now. |
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More about Bernard
My name is Bernard "Bernie" Petruzziello. I was born and
raised in Boston's North End. I studied at Boston's Museum
of Fine Arts School, and I worked for many years in the
graphic arts field. I also taught Figure Drawing and
Painting for many years at the University of Lowell.
For the past 45 years, I have lived in Lowell, MA. It is
here, along with my wife, that I raised a family that
includes four children and eight grandchildren.
I have more than 2,000 pieces of work dating from 1960 to
1996 when I was sighted. Many of my paintings depict
landscape and seascape scenes from around New England. I was
fortunate enough to have had many solo and group exhibits,
for which I won many awards.
I am honored that many of my works have been purchased by
organizations such as the:
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U.S. Department of the Interior
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Raytheon Service Company
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Lowell Historical Preservation
Commission
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University of Massachusetts at
Lowell
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Whistler House Museum of Art
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late Senator Paul E.
Tsongas
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and Enterprise Bank and Trust
Company
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not to mention countless
personal collections
I am also honored to have been involved in many local
cultural organizations such as:
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Vice Chairman of the City of
Lowell Commission for the Arts
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President of the Lowell Art
Association
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Area Coordinator for the
Merrimack Valley Council on the Arts and Humanities
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Art Consultant for the Lowell
Bicentennial/Sesquicentennial Commission
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Art Consultant for the Lowell
Regatta Committee
The artwork you see on this web page is work I have done
since 1996 when I lost my vision to retinitis pigmentosa
(RP). RP is a degenerative disease that I was first
diagnosed with in the 1970s. Although I can no longer see, I
still vividly remember colors. When I lost my sight, I
dabbled in other art forms such as sculpture and textile
arts, but my real passion is painting.
With my loss of sight, my method of painting has also
changed. My pieces are obviously more abstract, but the
change is more than that. My painting feels freer to me now.
Before I felt like I had to adhere to the "rules" of
painting. Now, with the help of other artists and my wife, I
mix my own colors, measure my canvas, and think about what
colors to use. My painting is much more emotional now.
I hope you like what you see.
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