A TEN-year-old Ecclefechan boy is using his artistic skills to express what life is like living with blindness.
And Luca Kirkpatrick’s talents have landed him a prestigious opportunity this summer when one of his comic drawings will go on display in a gallery in London.
‘I See You’ beat 21,000 entries to make it into the Royal Academy of Arts London show.
The ‘blurb’ for his picture says: “I See You is how Luca says living with blindness is: “people think I’m invisible and ignore me but I see differently and in this picture is my support and love and strength that’s my family, my friends and my eye doctors who one day might make this go away.”
Luca is registered blind due to a rare genetic condition, which has led to his functional vision deteriorating.
Mum Heather explained: “Over the pandemic he sadly lost more of his low functional vision, but he found a release from his emotions through art.
“He was bullied because of the way he has to work so closely to the paper, yet that has only made him determined.”
After his grandparents bought him a subscription to the Beano, he was inspired to create his own characters and stories and has been able to develop his art further through his home schooling with Wolsey Hall Oxford.
In addition, he also attends an art club at Kettleholm run by Rosie Godwin.
