Foot and Mouth

Have you ever tried to paint a picture?

With your foot?

I have. 

I made a group of kids do it once. 

I joined them. 

While the smell of foot odour

hung in the air, we painted...

and complained! 

My muscles were aching

before I'd really even started... 

I had no control...

my toes - which are very good

at pinching and grabbing -

became sore and tired...

In Australia in 1956,

an international for-profit association

 fully owned and run

by disabled artists was formed. 

Mouth And Foot Painting Artists (MFPA)

supports disabled artists. 

The members paint

with their mouth or feet.

Bill Mooney was born in 1942. 

At 16, Bill dived into shallow water

and became paralyzed

from the shoulders down. 

Since then, he has been

confined to a wheelchair.

By 1960, Bill was painting

and joined MFPA in 1963. 

His paintings have been sold

internationally and usually represent

the Australian landscapes and seascapes. 

He is married with three children. 

Bill’s piece is titled:

Red Western Australia.



Beryl became interested

in art as a young child. 

Her cerebral palsy

limited her ability to use her hands,

so Beryl paints with her mouth! 

She has been a member of the

Mouth and Foot Painting Artists (MFPA)

since 1979. 

This is one of her pieces,

titled: The Old Shed.

Reverend Glenn Barnett also

had a diving accident.

At the age of 15, he was

confined to a wheelchair.

Two years later,

a boy asked him to draw a picture

and his artist days began.

His work was first published in 1971.

This was also the year he married.

In 1974 he became a member of MFPA.

The dry Australian landscape

is Barnett’s favourite subject,

but he sometimes does face-painting

at fetes and shows.

Barnett’s work here is titled:

Magestic Bush.

 The next two pictures

are some of my favourites

from the

Mouth And Foot Painting Artists

website.

Bruce Peardon - Broken Tusk elephant

Wayne Te Rangi - Misty Gully