Benny Schwartz sees the world through white lights that erase parts of the picture in front of him — a side effect of a rare autoimmune disease that left him with permanent blind spots in the center of each eye. Rather than stop painting, the Pennsylvania-based artist known as Benny Blindspots built an entire career around what remains in his field of vision, and his colorful, fantastical canvases now hang in corporate offices and galleries across North America.
Schwartz was diagnosed in 2014 with neuromyelitis optica, an autoimmune disorder affecting the optic nerve, according to WBAL News Radio. The condition can cause blindness, paralysis and brain lesions, Pittwire reports. In Schwartz’s case, it left permanent blind spots at the center of his visual field; he has described bright areas that obscure parts of what he sees, according to WBAL.
Five Years of Struggle Before the First Brushstroke
Schwartz spent five years struggling to come to terms with his condition after the diagnosis, according to WTAE. It was a friend who finally pushed him toward creativity, encouraging him to embrace his artistic side and offering to put him in a pop-up art show if he tried painting the blurriness he saw, WBAL reports. Schwartz took the challenge and began painting, eventually finding that making lines and shapes helped him locate images and, for a little while, regain a sense of command over his own visual field.
That experiment became the basis of Schwartz’s practice. He has said his illness and blindness might ultimately help him reach his potential, rather than hold him back, according to WBAL. Pittwire reports that his colorful, fantastical compositions—what he calls dreamscapes—can take days or weeks to complete.
From Pittsburgh Studio to Bank Lobbies Nationwide
Schwartz’s work hangs in corporate spaces including State Street and JPMorgan Chase, WBAL notes. Bank of America purchased 50 prints for multiple locations across the country, Pittwire reports. The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle also reported that the bank bought 50 prints through the online platform that represents him.
That platform is ArtLifting, which markets and advocates for artists with disabilities and sells Schwartz’s work online. ArtLifting says artists earn 55 percent of profits from art sales and royalties, and that it partners with businesses to create inclusive environments and economic opportunities for artists with disabilities. Schwartz has expressed gratitude for the platform’s role in enabling artists to share their work and earn income.
ArtLifting marketing director Michael Korcek said the organization aims to reduce barriers for artists with disabilities in the art world and corporate art market, per WTAE. Korcek has described Schwartz’s work as exploring what an artist can create with vision loss, according to WBAL. The reported number of artists represented varies: ArtLifting’s website says more than 200 across North America, while WTAE reports 235, including Schwartz.
Art platforms and access
ArtLifting describes itself as a for-profit public benefit corporation committed to building financial resilience for artists with disabilities and experience with housing insecurity, according to ArtLifting. The organization also describes artist compensation and corporate partnerships on its site, as noted above; those statements outline its model and aims, rather than independently documenting outcomes for participating artists. For museum visitors, the Smithsonian Accessibility Program’s exhibition guidelines recommend audio description for objects that cannot be touched or convey little through touch, such as watercolors. That visitor-access practice is distinct from Schwartz’s own painting process.
A Carnegie Mellon Classroom Rethinks the Studio
Carnegie Mellon University architecture students spent a semester designing a potential studio for Schwartz on a vacant Bloomfield lot, The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle reported. For the project, students were blindfolded, walked indoors with canes and used tactile drawings to consider accessible design from Schwartz’s perspective.
The exercise also prompted Schwartz to reconsider his own workspace. “I found myself, even at my own studio, rethinking my space, and I've made changes,” he told the outlet.
Schwartz's story also fits into a broader exhibition landscape for artists navigating rare neuroimmune disorders. He and fellow artist Rosie Ranauro were among more than 20 artists featured in the Rare Vision exhibit, which ran from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, 2025, according to Rare Disease Advisor. Works shown at the event remain viewable and available for purchase online, the outlet reported.
Schwartz has said that making visual art helped him find pleasure in the vision he has left, according to his ArtLifting collection page. His paintings now appear in settings ranging from corporate offices to galleries, including TAG in Boston.
