On November 4th, a group of blind and low-vision artists from the Sensory Art Group donated a work they had created to the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library.

The artists and their instructor were present for the installation of the art in the WTBBL conference room. The work of art, called Northwest Vista, is a sculpted and tactile representation of a typical northwest landscape with three panels, together creating a panoramic view.

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Depicted on each panel from bottom to top are flowing blue water, lush green forest and rolling hills, with snow-capped mountains in the background set against a clear blue sky. The overall size is 30” tall by 74.5” wide by 4.5” thick. To create the structure of the topography, the artists applied wire mesh and expanding foam to plywood, then covered them with acrylic paint and glossy gel medium.

To add additional texture, the artists also used foliage from a model train set as well as torn fabric. “So often people are told not to touch art. These artists have made beautiful art that people can experience visually, but we can also say, 'Yes, please do touch it,' and our patrons can have a full tactile and interactive experience with the art,” said WTBBL director Danielle Miller.

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Northwest Vista was created by artists Camille Jassny, Dan and Dave Ortner, Leah Sayler, and Stacy Thurston. Their instructor is Hjylimar Hinn. “We are so appreciative of the artists and this incredible art that will hang in the library and potentially be shared with so many,” said Miller.