As the distortion, blurring, blind spots and hallucinations progressed, I noticed the appearance of hallucinations when my eyes were closed. I would be fully awake and would reopen my eyes then close them again to see if the same images would appear. They often did. I also found that I did not have to fixate my eyes to maintain the image. By moving my eyes the vision would also move and provide changing focal points.
This image started as a small light within the dark background. As I continued to look, the small white square appeared surrounded by the other grey rectangles. The ray of light seemed to emanate from the white square. Inside the white square appeared a figure in motion. When I completed the painting I asked my wife what she saw in the white square. She saw two figures and pointed each one out to me. Since I thought I’d only painted one, I set out to clarify a single figure. I then stopped and decided to leave it as originally perceived and painted.
Next paintings
Most of my paintings are quite small, but they take a surprisingly long time to complete. I hope to produce more soon. I have envisioned several and was pleased to discover that all the images are not just in black and white. Some were quite colorful, and as you can already see I am able to see straight lines again - when my eyes are closed.