76-year-old Cedar Hills man creates great art despite being blind

76-year-old Cedar Hills man creates great art despite being blind

By Arianne Brown, KSL.com Contributor

February 13th, 2015 @ 10:31am

CEDAR HILLS Bert Eastmond, 76, reached into his drawer of art supplies, picked out a dark blue tile, and carefully carved it into a small rectangle. He then grouted it and placed it amid other blue tiles, completing the night sky above Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus in his mosaic depiction of the Nativity.

He ran his hands over the tiles, to make sure each was in place, and when they were, he held it up for his oldest son, Mark, to see.

It looks perfect, Dad, he said.

Mark then gently took the mosaic from his dad so that he could frame it for others to see.

Bert, however, would never have the chance to see his artwork he is blind.

At the age of 16, Bert Eastmond, who was also born with a 70 percent hearing loss, was diagnosed with a degenerative eye condition, called retinitis pigmentosa, and was told that it would be a matter of years before his sight would be completely gone.

Devastated, but not defeated, Eastmond went on to serve a two-year LDS Church mission in England.

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76-year-old Cedar Hills man creates great art despite being blind