Charlotte Legare

Artist - Alabama

Charlotte Legare doesn’t know the meaning of quitting. She’s faced many obstacles head-on and comes out on top each time.

She has severe tunnel vision. Through the encouragement of her son, Legare submitted six works of art for a competition held by the Guild for the Blind. Out of 140 other applicants, Legare’s painting was chosen to be showcased at an art exhibit in Chicago.

“It was neat to actually meet other artists who are visually impaired and have different kinds of vision loss,” she said.

Legare’s piece called “Moonrise,” one out of 40 others chosen for the art show, is a bright redorange harvest moon over brown swirls of water. Her inspiration comes straight from nature. She said she loves watching the moon and water.

Her other works, done mostly in acrylics because it dries quickly and she can add texture, make use of bold colors. She explained that she used to shy away from color, but since her eyesight has diminished, she thought, “why not?”

Legare has never taken any formal art classes, but her technique and style are very refined. Some of her works just happen when she’s sitting down painting. She planned others from photographs she’s taken.

“I want people to know that just because you’re visually impaired, it’s not a disability. I don’t want them to think, ‘Oh poor thing’. It’s a fact of my life. I’ve got to live with it. I can’t change it. So let’s do something,” Legare exclaims.

Samples of Charlotte Legare's Art