Aaron Shafer, a legally blind artist, defies his diagnosis and creates a beautiful "wood burning" artwork, dubbed "The Healing Fire."<br /><br />Footage, recorded on January 19, shows Aaron using a blow torch to scorch large panels of wood, before the video zooms-out to reveal an intricate and beautiful mountain scene, depicting Oregon's highest mountain Mount Hood. <br /><br />Aaron is a 29-year-old artist from Kalamazoo, Michigan. In 2007, when he was 17, Aaron was diagnosed with Stargardt's disease, wiping out his central vision. By 2009, he was diagnosed as legally blind. <br /> <br />Aaron told Newsflare: "At that time, I was really diving into artwork, and the diagnosis really shook me. <br /> <br />"It wasn’t long before my condition took my ability to drive. Slowly, it began to take even more: my ability to read most things, recognise faces from further than a few feet away, look directly at the work I was creating, and ultimately, it took away my ambition to pursue fine art altogether." <br /><br />"The Healing Fire" is a monumental piece for Aaron, who has not created art since 2012. <br /> <br />“For years, my desire to create art from scratch and by hand disappeared. However, several months ago, I began wood burning. Art created using tools and elements that typically destroy. I loved it immediately. Based on its irony alone, I could relate.<br /><br />"I found the strength to begin an art project and create this piece. <br /><br />“For more than a decade now, in a way I've felt like I was bottling fire, and I was ready to release it. What I mean by this is everyone experiences some degree of loss. Unfortunately, loss is a part of life. But I believe it is through these difficult experiences that we are given the opportunities to learn some of the most valuable skills in life: how to create from destructive circumstances."<br /><br />Now, Aaron is optimistic about the future. <br /><br />“I'm excited to announce that in spring of 2020 I will be having my first fine art show titled "The Healing Fire."<br /> <br />“I would like to use exhibited pieces to increase awareness, and sell them to help fund solutions. There is a ton of work to do, but I have already done the most difficult part: beginning."
