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.
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
website.
Bruce Peardon - Broken Tusk elephant
Wayne Te Rangi - Misty Gully
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