Mansoor Naderi loves to draw. He creates hyper-realistic portraits that he interprets from photographs, among other artistic endeavors. The intricate drawings include people, animals and even super heroes. “It’s something that brings me joy, and as I do more of it — it strengthens my abilities,” says Naderi, a studio arts student at the University of Guelph.

Naderi, who started drawing in Grade 8, is also blind. “People don’t expect that,” he says.

Naderi completed several photography courses before coming to U of G, but it was the instructors here, including Profs. Anna Cox and Susan Dobson, and instructor Paul MacDonald, who “pushed the boundaries” of his thinking.

“I’ve learned, that in photography, utilizing a camera can be secondary rather than an assumed primary tool,” says Naderi. He’s been introduced to new forms of photographic work, including a technique called cliché verre that integrates drawing and photography. The artist draws on a transparent surface and prints the resulting image on light sensitive photographic paper in the darkroom.

“It’s very apparent there’s a lot of skill there,” says MacDonald of Naderi’s drawings, adding that art is about creating something meaningful and conveying it to an audience, a practice that isn’t constrained by a disability.

Sally Hickson, director of the School of Fine Art and Music, is working with Naderi to develop a course about teaching art to blind students. Since most art professors haven’t worked with visually-impaired students, the course will cover how art can be understood and created using senses other than sight. For example, one method is a drawing technique using different thicknesses of threads wound around nails, so the image can be experienced through the sense of touch.

Naderi, who is in his final semester, says faculty and staff have found ways to work with his limitations and encourage his abilities. “They have helped me think outside of the box and find solutions to conquer the barriers in my way,” he says. “This would not have been possible without their help.”

After graduation, he hopes to do more portrait work, along with motivational speaking and exploring other opportunities.

His academic contributions were unexpected, he says, but something he’s especially proud of. “I feel that I’ve helped to break down some barriers for others with limitations.”