Dennis Mealor – Art <dm@dennismealor.net>

“Fractals of Vision” was first exhibited at my “Fragments of Vision” exhibition at Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery (BRAG) in 2011, Bundaberg Australia. This exhibition was a cathartic experience for me, based on my then recent eye trauma in 2009. I suffered 90% loss of vision to both my eyes, due to optic nerve damage. The result was permanent, and no cure, but fortunately has been stable since that time. Luckily also, I discovered in 2010 that I still had enough (“tunnel”) vision to continue painting as well as do photo-art, as a “Visually Impaired Artist,” as the term goes.

“Fractals of Vision” came about as I pondered the possible side-effects of my eye-drops, which I administer daily, to keep eye pressure down. The eye-drops’ blurb warns that a possible side effect is the lengthening of eye lashes (as well as a change in colour of the iris). Wishfully, I imagined my eyelashes growing longer, and fantasised that they would grow extra new eyes at their tips, to enable me to gain my normal vision back, at least fractally. As my mother would often say, “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.” That said, these days I have come to terms with my “new vision” and love what I still have. Prior to my eye trauma, I took my “normal” vision for granted.