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Painting that which cannot be seen is a concept likely to prompt many confused and questioning looks. However, portrait painter Adam Hahn is currently hard at work doing exactly that.

As part of his artist in residence project at Mascalls School in Paddock Wood, Hahn is painting a series of 15 black and white portraits. All of his sitters suffer age-related macular degeneration, and each of their portraits will reflect the state of their vision loss. Specific areas on the sitter's portraits will be blurred or faded to correspond with the areas of their vision that have been affected by AMD.

'As far as I understand, people with AMD see a blur, or have a void in their vision,' says Hahn. 'What I am trying to do is grasp what happens in that void, to almost paint what is not there. I think it is an interesting concept.'

The process involves a high degree of collaboration between Hahn and each of his sitters. The very first step is a conversation about what the sitters can or cannot see. 'I talk to them about what they can see in the mirror. What they see, what they do not see, how close they need to be to see anything - if they can see anything at all,' Hahn explains.

A digital photograph of the sitter is taken, and then manipulated on the computer to reflect the conversation. Parts of the sitter's face will be blurred or out-of-focus, according to the sitter's description of their vision. Hahn then sends three or four images to the sitter, who then chooses the one they believe most closely matches how they see themselves. Once the image is chosen, Hahn begins painting. Each portrait is painted in a series of up to five layers, with each layer becoming progressively more blurred.

According to Hahn, inspiration for the project came from his grandmother, who suffered AMD for the last five years of her life. In fact, her portrait will feature in the final exhibition. 'The idea really stemmed from my grandmother and her experiences. AMD was something which she did not come to grips with well,' he says. 'She would often describe her symptoms to us, and they were not always true to the condition of AMD. For example, sometimes she saw red spots or blue spots. This will be reflected in her portrait.

'I want to make all of the portraits true to the personal experiences of those I am painting. It is such a personal condition, it affects everyone differently and it progresses at different rates. For example, one person I have painted has only been diagnosed with AMD recently and he says that on a daily basis he is fine, it has not really begun to affect his life. The only difference is when he shaves, he notices one side of his face is slightly out of focus. When I paint his portrait, that corresponding area will be blurred.'

Sourcing sitter's, Hahn says, has been a small project in itself and he has been grateful for the help he has received from local groups such as the Kent Association for the Blind, which has helped him contact people. So far, he says, his sitter's have been wonderful people, all very enthusiastic about the project and keen to be involved.

'I enjoy producing these portraits. I enjoy producing portraits that show something of the character of the person, I think that is incredibly important. Especially in these pictures where vision is such a common experience, I need to show the individuality of each person,' Hahn says.

Hahn has been a professional artist for around six years. After graduating from the Glasgow School of Art, he was awarded a Royal Academy scholarship to study at the Prado in Madrid. He has twice been selected for the BP Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery. Nathaniel Hepburn, curator of Mascalls Gallery, at Mascalls School, says it is a wonderful benefit to the school to have such an experienced professional as artist in residence. Hahn's project on AMD, he says, goes beyond being purely artistic and also has an educational dimension. 'Adam is raising awareness of the condition in his art, however this subject will also be picked up in other areas of the school curriculum, for example human biology and health. Students will be discussing the condition, what it might feel like and what it must be like to live with,' he says.

● The exhibition at Mascalls Gallery is planned for June. For more information on the project contact nhepburn@mascallsgallery.org

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