Thought Wheel

Ann Chiappetta

My Artist’s Journey of Discovery

| Filed under blindness

A Mixed Media Journey

 

I am Annie. This is my journey of getting back into painting,abstract and collage art after thirty years. Going blind meant saying so long to visual arts, or so I thought. Now that I am retired and exploring new things and renewing my connection to the arts, I am inviting you to come with me.

 

It will be messy and my work might make you scratch your noodle, but it is my hands, fingers, and imagination expressing who I am that will hopefully resonate with you .

 

To view my gallery, visit

https://www.annchiappetta.com/whispering-vines-studio/

All my pieces are tagged with alt text for the blind and low vision visitors.

The first piece is  called “Swirl” It is one of my larger pieces, measuring 18 x18”.I used heavy weight watercolor paper, a stencil, acrylic paint and stamps. It is my statement to the labyrinth and Celtic designs.

What I learned from making this piece: purples and magentas compliment green nicely, stamping is much more precise and better quality than twenty years ago, and trying to get the stencil to release from the paper after I let it dry too long made me groan with frustration.

 

Each piece I’ve made has taught me to be patient, prepare and think about the statement I want to convey visually, and do my best not to be hard on myself when I do mess up.

Until next time –

The artwork features a buttercream and gold  shimmer paint background.  The circular labyrinth contains curved lines in green and magenta at the center, resembling a stylized maze. Surrounding these lines are eight large and small black, simple leaf  shapes scattered  along  the white space. The edge resembles a lace fabric design.

 

It’s Been a While, Let’s Catch up

| Filed under blogging writing Writing Life

Hi all- lapsing on posting to this blog isn’t horrible but I know posting here more frequently is a good thing, even if life gets in the way.

First, here is an online interview featuring me for Canvas Rebel:

https://canvasrebel.com/meet-ann-chiappetta   

Next, if you haven’t subscribed to my low-traffic monthly newsletter, send a blank email to:

anniesharesnews+subscribe@groups.io — let’s keep in touch.

 

The winter kept me busy with  a few art projects, check them out on my art studio page:

https://annchiappetta.com/whispering-vines-studio 

I hope your summer plans are full of warmth and fun!

 

 

 

 

Word for the Day is Go 🦮

| Filed under blindness Guide dogs

The word for today in Annie’s world is “GO”.  We went on our first walk with the dogs since the bad weather set in last November. Iowa did a great job leading the way. He was eager to go, and I needed to go for health reasons. Jerry and May also got going.

 

The obstacles we avoided thanks to Iowa’s guidance included two large sewer grates, a parked car, a few passing cars and one stop sign controlled intersection.

 

Iowa and I did have a conversation as to when to cross over to the driveway of our house. He wanted to begin a bit too early. I wanted a more direct line.  Let’s say we compromised, my husband laughing as we negotiated.

I said,

“Forward,”

Iowa went a few steps, then would stop and look right at the house. Jerry said we weren’t opposite yet.

We repeated this dance until Jerry judged we were aligned and I got the okay to go.

 

If Iowa had his way we would have angled and I would lose my bearings.

Jerry said I shouldn’t be so perfectionistic, Iowa knew where to take us.

 

The lesson for the day, go with your dog.

 

Art Day Saturday

| Filed under writing

 

Our weekdays are filled with medical appointments and caring for our home and pets. Jerry is a wonderful spouse, doing the shopping and I help when and where I can.  He likes food shopping and I find it a chore, so he does it. I love shopping for gifts, clothing, shoes, household and gardening things, anything except food, so it balances out.

 

I also work on my volunteer and paid projects during the week. Writing and practicing my performance poetry and other presentations as well as managing Friends In Art, Inc, is part of the weekday habit.

But Saturday is an art day. I spend most of the week going over what I will work on, where to begin, and what the daily goal is. For example, today I painted in edging on two small canvas pieces, prepped an 18 x 18 heavy duty paper and  Jerry sprayed three clear coats of sealant on another finished piece.  I plan to begin a Vlog on YouTube at some point talking about what is like being blind and also being an artist and author. I hope I don’t put folks to sleep.  😉

 

Mixed media techniques are probably a far cry from a classically trained fine artist. We paint with brushes as well as fingers, old credit cards, palette knives, sponges, paint pens, and other impromptu tools with great results.

 

I use masking tape and Scotch ™   magic tape for blocking edges. I use tape to map out key points within my painting or gluing area. I like brushes that are easy to hold and have an indent in the metal nearest the bristles. This helps me direct the brush tip for the best results. I love scraping, rolling or pressing textures into gel plates, and letting my mind direct the creative play. I rely on my smart speaker to assist me with contemporizing paint colors and use a handheld color identifier and an app on my phone to help me.

 

I go into my work with no expectations. I plan the best I can and accept the outcome. When the outcome isn’t what I planned, I shift it into the learning experience bin and move on. Many of my mistakes are used in new, dynamic compositions. The more art I create the more confident I become.

 

 

aesthetic pheromone

 

Ann Chiappetta

 

 

the scent of pigment and polymer unlatches

 

the gate to the garden

 

the act is breath

 

and breathing

 

bold gloss glides

 

the dip of ideas

burst bright

 

upon the paper

thankful it is

 

no longer white

12 x 7 horizontal canvas painting. The painting's background is primarily a vivid red with textured brush strokes and is sectioned in four uneven quadrants. On the upper left quadrant of the painting, there is a series of circular shapes arranged in a rough square pattern. These circles include larger gold glittery circles, medium-sized lavender circles with a marbled texture , and smaller solid black circles . Inside this pattern of circles, near its center, is an off-white circle with faint greenish lines suggesting a planet-like shape. In the lower left quadrant there are horizontal, brush-stroked lines in purple and blue hues. On the right side of the painting, there is an irregular orange shape in the upper right quadrant and a shimmery green abstract shape on the bottom left quadrant. The painting is bordered by geometric-patterned washy tape with small rectangular blocks of colors including white, blue, and red.

 

by Ann Chiappetta | tags : | 0

Night’s Window

| Filed under blogging nonfiction Poem

What did I do today? I slept late, a wonderful thing to execute after retirement.

 

Once I got up, I took my meds and got to work reading the never-ending stream of email. I wrote a report for one group, filled out two forms for a festival I am attending, and decided on what to have for dinner along with my spouse.

 

He got harassed by our cats for food and started baking a cake and discovered we didn’t have any butter. Off to the store he went with a list on his phone because he cannot remember anything.  Now I am waiting for his return so the dogs can eat. We feed them together mostly because we do some minor food prep for them. One dog gets a pill in the watermelon, the other has to get his food measured and they both get a few green beans and a sprinkle of probiotics on top.

We’ll start dinner after he bakes the cake. We will let the dogs run in the backyard and  look forward to sitting down and sharing a meal together.

 

In the frame of

the picture window

forks dip and lift in

the reflection of evening

 

gloaming silvers the

wintered grass until our specters

fade into the night

 

 

 

Poems & Painting

| Filed under Guide dogs pets and people

 

Hello folks, happy 2026! 🍾

If you subscribe to my newsletter, Annie Shares News, I wrote about the year in review. Now I am writing and painting, doodling with mixed media and materials. I am happy to say my first series of pieces are three labyrinth-inspired canvases, a small grouping of minis, a 4×4 and two 4×7. . I hope to post photos of their progress here since I haven’t been posting much.

I made a gallery page on annchiappetta.com called Whispering Vines Studio, where people can visit, check out my work and maybe purchase a piece.  😉

 

Poetry and other story ideas are ongoing and I hope 2026 is the year wherein I will make progress on my second memoir and a chapbook of dog-themed poetry.

 

 

Black lab Iowa sits wearing a yellow and black scarf. The word on it spells YINZER.

 

 

New art in Whispering Vines Studio

| Filed under blindness

Please visit Whispering Vines Studios – Ann Chiappetta

 

and check out two new mixed media art pieces. Galaxies is a 12″ x 7″ unique abstract polychromatic acrylic on canvas. Desert Night is an 11″ x 14″ acrylic and stencil desert scene accented with genuine snakeskin.

 

The purchase price includes shipping.

 

Please contact me with questions.

Happy Holidays!

 

Touchable Art Show ‍

| Filed under blindness

Hello friends and neighbors –

One of my art pieces will be on display, along with 33 other touchable sculptures by artists at the Somatosensory art show at the Carnegie Library of Accessible Media for Pennsylvanians, or LAMP. The opening is Friday, November 7 from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.

I’d love for you to attend opening night and explore all the pieces of touchable and accessible art. This event is unique to the art community, as most visual art is not able to be appreciated with the sense of touch, a vital frame of reference to individual with visual impairments or other sensory barriers.

 

Here is the address:

the Carnegie Library of Accessible Media for Pennsylvanians.

4724 Baum Blvd.
Pittsburgh PA 15213

To learn more about the Somatosensory exhibit, call

412.687.2440 or 800.242.0586

Web: LAMP/Library of Accessible Media for Pennsylvanians – Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

 

The web address to my virtual gallery is:

www.annchiappetta.com/whispering-vines-studio/

I hope to see you there!

Annie

Phot is an abstract framed piece of wall art in yellow, red and black circles on a white background. It resembles a messay bar top.

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White Cane Safety Day 🧑‍🦯

| Filed under assistive technology blindness Guide dogs

🧑‍🦯

Celebrating International White Cane Day

My white cane means being able to travel safely. It tells the public I am blind. Using it gets me places and tells others I am just as deserving as the sighted to experience life.

 

Below is more on the worldview.

The World Blind Union (WBU) marks International White Cane Day by reaffirming the cane’s role not only as a tool for safe and independent mobility, but as a universal symbol of pride, dignity, and the right to inclusion for blind and partially sighted people everywhere.

At a time when diversity and inclusion efforts face renewed challenges across many parts of the world, the white cane stands as a powerful reminder that blind people belong in every aspect of community life. It represents visibility, identity, and the ongoing pursuit of equal rights.

 

On this International White Cane Day, the World Blind Union calls on governments, policymakers, and communities worldwide to:

  • Guarantee accessibility in public infrastructure, transport, and digital spaces.
  • Safeguard and strengthen legal protections for the rights of persons with disabilities.
  • Recognize the white cane as a universal symbol of independence and inclusion.

Annie, a light skinned mature woman with curly shoulder-length gray hair sits with her new guide dog, a black lab named Iowa. They are posed in sitting position beside a red-purple flowering rhododendron. She and Iowa are looking into the camera and Annie looks happy and relaxed, a big smile on her face.