Visionary: Doug Sheers’ Black Saturday Fires.
Andrew Mathieson
TWO Geelong residents have refused to let their vision loss stand in the way of their passion for art.
Vision Australia has selected works from St Albans Park residents Doug Sheers and Melba Hill to feature in the organisation’s 2011 calendar.
Mr Sheers, a former AFL trainer, earned a place in the calendar with his Black Saturday Fires painting.
He said his sister’s loss of her Kinglake home in the 2009 fires had inspired his artwork.
The painting depicted his imagination of how the fires would have appeared, Mr Sheers said.
“It must have been terrifying to experience such a force of nature.”
Mr Sheers joined Vision Australia’s art and craft group after blocked retina blood vessels damaged his sight.
Vision Australia chose Underwater Paradise from Ms Hill, 87.
“I love the sea but am not brave enough to explore it, so I used my imagination,” she said.
