Faced with total vision loss in the near future, many people might understandably respond with despair, fear, anger, or all three. Yet Virginia “Jinx” Hastings, 80, faces such loss in inspiring ways. After undergoing more than a dozen procedures for glaucoma, Hastings learned that she’s exhausted surgical solutions; her response was to create art, which is currently on display through July at the Dickinson Memorial Library in Northfield.

“When I found out that I’ll soon completely lose my sight, I felt an urgency to be creative, which is something I’ve done all my life,” said Hastings. A longtime ceramics artist, the Northfield resident pivoted to painting during the COVID era. “I painted dog portraits for neighbors and friends,” she said. “It was a medium I could handle.” For years, Hastings loved to sew, but her disability took that hobby off the table. “I paint with acrylics using my fingers, which puts me in direct contact with the canvas. I can’t see a brush at this point.”

Self-pity was the furthest thing from her mind when Hastings learned of her prognosis. “Independence is very important to me, but of course, I need help and will need more help.” She credits her husband, Howard, for being wonderfully supportive. “For now, Howard is my white stick,” she said, referring to the aid used by some blind people. “Low vision and blindness can easily lead to isolation, so I’m figuring out all of that. But my first impulse was to do something creative.”

Both Jinx and Howard trained at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). Following a 30-year teaching career, Jinx found other ways to share her gifts while promoting her most cherished values. She addresses the waste stream by transforming junk mail and other paper destined for recycling bins into beautiful 3D pieces, each containing just one word. “I’ve given away over 300 of these,” she said, pointing to an example currently gracing library walls. “I want to inspire people with words like gratitude, empathy, and courage.” Each piece appears as an embossed message in soothing shades of gray.

The art Jinx created in the last couple of years is full of color and geometry. The description most frequently heard from exhibit attendees was “vibrant.” Jinx noted that the conditions of her work space must be neither too bright nor too dim: “I’m like Goldilocks in that way,” she joked. “It has to be just right.” In a more serious vein, she added, “Everything I see now is blurry and tunnel vision: that’s become the reality of my life, so I wanted to do something colorful and happy. And that’s how I felt while making these pieces: colorful and happy.”

Hastings tries to keep doing things she’s always loved. “I love to cook, and have memorized many recipes,” she said. “The key is that everything must be put back in the place where it belongs, so when I need nutmeg, it’s right where I think it is.” She recently made cookies for a monthly coffee hour at her local library, and did so easily because she’s made them so many times. For new recipes, she said, “I ask Alexa. Technology has become very important to people like me. I’m an old dog learning new tricks.” She recently experimented with an app called Be My Eyes. “A volunteer on the other end describes exactly what you’re looking at. It could be someone in Texas helping you pick out an outfit.”

Howard Hastings is a longtime woodworker with prodigious imaginative skills. At his wife’s exhibit, he handed an unusual pair of glasses to an onlooker and said, “You can put these on to get a sense of what Jinx sees at this point.” Howard created the glasses after interviewing his wife in order to gain a detailed understanding of her visual limitations, and approximated her reality by drilling small holes in dark material. “I want to try to show others what Jinx experiences. Everything is cloudy, she has no peripheral vision, and all she sees are pinholes.” Donning the glasses gave me an immediate feeling of disorientation; a few others tried them on, too. Most people took them off quickly.

At the exhibit, Jinx was thrilled to meet Cedar Parent, age 11, who in January was the featured artist in the same gallery space. When asked about the nature of his exhibit, Cedar described his nature photos featuring insects and amphibians. Cedar, his mom, and his sister took in the work of Jinx Hastings with great interest. His mom, Katie, said, “I’m blown away. The work is so beautiful.” Zen Parent, age 8, nodded in agreement. Cedar commented on the “mathematical” nature of his fellow artist’s work, and his mom said, “Math is how Cedar’s brain functions.” Jinx uses painters’ tape to create grids before applying paint, later peeling off the tape to reveal wondrously geometric designs. “I like the way your work is positioned,” Cedar said. His sister commented, “I can’t pick just one favorite; there are too many good ones.”

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Northfield resident Patricia Kinsellla visited the exhibit briefly, admitting, “I’m playing hookie from work. Pioneer graduation is tonight, but I just had to come see this.” After viewing the pieces once more before heading back to work, Kinsella said, “It’s an artistic triumph.”

Eveline MacDougall is the author of “Fiery Hope,” and an artist, musician and mom. To contact her: eveline@amandlachorus.org.