His paintings of the Norfolk Broads sell for up to thousands of pounds around the world.
But four years ago, David Dane feared he may be forced to give up his art for good.
Now, the renowned Broads artist has announced plans to host a new exhibition following a miraculous twist of fortunes.
Before the pandemic, Mr Dane was diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a medical condition which can result in blurred or no vision in the center of the visual field.
The 79-year-old was then told that it would be likely he would experience a gradual worsening of vision.
After a 40-year career, he had been preparing to pack away his easel and hang up his brushes for good.
Then his eyesight began to return.
He said: “To be honest, it’s been a bit of a miracle.
“I had been to the hospital so many times and I had more or less given up hope when they told me I had AMD.
“I thought I was finished and that my career was done for, but for whatever reason my eyes have now stabilised and have in fact improved.”
So improved is his vision, that Mr Dane is now putting together a new exhibition focusing on the reserves and sights around the Broads.
Broadland in Trust will be held at Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s floating visitor centre at Ranworth Broad in November 2024.
He hopes the exhibition will be as popular as his Broads 2000 exhibition, held in 1999, which attracted thousands of visitors.
Mr Dane, of Sutton Fen, moved from Kent to Norfolk as a child in 1949.
Leaving school at 15, he worked at a furniture shop in Great Yarmouth then Hunter’s boatyard at Ludham, and later as a skipper at Broads Tours in Wroxham.
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