My name is Beth Meador and I was diagnosed with a rare condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa at age 15 and was declared legally blind at that time with only 5 degrees of peripheral field. I am 40 now and in the late stages of the disease with only 2 degrees of peripheral field remaining.. This condition affects a persons peripheral fields, giving us tunnel vision, and severe night blindness and eventually leads to total blindness.

I started doing art as an escape or therapy. It helped keep my eyes sharp and was a challenge. I started with a #2 pencil and a piece of notebook paper and a cup and saucer. From there I started taking photos that I had and started drawing them. I then became interested in acrylic paints. I have no formal training. Only what I have learned from magazines and from others who do art and from what I have picked up from the Internet. My art takes longer for me to do because I have to take breaks to rest my eyes and due to my tunnel vision I have to work in small sections, and step back from it to see the whole picture. I also have trouble distinguishing certain colors as well.