Photo: City of Garland
In music, harmony refers to combining different sounds together in order to create something new and beautiful. Artist John Bramblitt draws from this poignant concept for one of his latest pieces—a mural he painted in downtown Garland, Texas. On top of sending an uplifting message about a thriving community, this piece of street art is also a testament to Bramblitt’s artistry and persistence, as he is blind.
“Garland is a cultural melting pot with quite a diversity when it comes to people coming from different places, and different communities coming together,” Bramblitt tells My Modern Met. “I wanted to do a mural that celebrated all of this, so I thought music would be a perfect way to go. Music can be so personal to people and to a culture, and yet it crosses languages and borders, your foot starts tapping to the beat and suddenly everyone is moving to the same vibes.”
In 2001, Bramblitt lost the last of his vision due to complications with epilepsy and Lyme’s disease. Eventually, he discovered painting, learning to distinguish between different colors of paint by feeling their textures with his fingers. “[In] 2017 I became the first blind person in the world to work on murals, and since then I have refined my techniques doing murals from New York to Texas to Korea,” the artist says.
Photo: City of Garland
Though he perfected this approach in his studio, working on a large-scale mural needed a little updating, especially to keep the weather from damaging the mural over time. “Whenever I’m working on a painting in my gallery I can use whatever textures I want and be as extreme as I want to be,” he shares. This time, he primed the wall with a very smooth paint. “Then the black paint that I use is mixed,” he explains, “so that it has a bit of a rough feel to it, almost tacky, that way when I touch it it feels different than the other paint. This lets me be able to draw with a black paint and orient myself to the wall.” Additionally, he does the painting on canvas first to have a full blueprint of where everything is going to be.
The central character of the mural is a woman, who seems to be taking in the music playing all around her. To her right, there are two musicians; and on the left, are dancers following the rhythm. “The hope of the characters was to represent everyone coming together and harmonizing with one another,” the artist says. “On the right hand side of the mural are the Braille letters that spell out ‘Harmony.’ The hope for the mural is to represent not only the harmony of music, but the harmony that is built when people come together and share and create with one another.”
To Bramblitt, one of the most wonderful aspects of creating a mural like this is that it’s actually in a place where many people live. “Most of what I do are commissioned paintings and those who live in a business or somebody’s house, so only people who enter that building will ever see it,” he says. “With a mural, it is for the community, especially one like this where it is in a place where people and families come together to share good times, to meet and to celebrate. My hope is that whenever people see it, it raises their spirits a little, maybe puts a smile on their face.”
Artist John Bramblitt drew from the concept of harmony for one of his latest pieces—a mural he painted in downtown Garland, Texas.
Photo: City of Garland
On top of spreading an uplifting message about a thriving community, this piece of street art is also a testament to the legally blind artist’s artistry and persistence.
Photo: City of Garland
“The hope for the mural is to represent not only the harmony of music, but the harmony that is built when people come together and share and create with one another.”
Photo: City of Garland
John Bramblitt: Website | Facebook | YouTube | Twitter
Quotes have been edited for length and clarity.
My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by the City of Garland.
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