ARTIST EXTRAORDINAIRE PAUL SMITH

Hi Everyone!

We are home from our trip. We had so much fun and I will be posting photos and telling you what we did. I know it will not be hard for you to believe that I did NOT want to come back to the coast. LOL

I still have things to put away from the trip and get my photos onto my computer so in the mean time I thought I would show you another Oregon artists that I find to be beyond extraordinary. When you find your self in a slump, can't quite get it together, or things just are not working out think of Paul Smith.

He lived at Rose Haven Nursing Home ( Roseburg , OR ) for years.

Paul Smith, the man with extraordinary talent was born on September 21, 1921, with severe cerebral palsy.

Not only had Paul beaten the odds of a life with spastic cerebral palsy,

a disability that impeded his speech and mobility but also taught himself to become a master artist as well as a terrific chess player, even after being devoid of a formal education as a child.

"When typing, Paul used his left hand to steady his right one.

Since he couldn't press two keys at the same time, he almost always locked the shift key down and made his pictures using the symbols at the top of the number keys.

In other words, his pictures were based on these characters

..... @ # $ % ^ & * ( )_ .

Across seven decades, Paul created hundreds of pictures.

He often gave the originals away. Sometimes, but not always, he kept or received a copy for his own records.

As his mastery of the typewriter grew, he developed techniques to create shadings, colors, and textures that made his work resemble pencil or charcoal drawings."

This great man passed away on June 25, 2009, but left behind a collection of his amazing artwork that will be an inspiration for many.

You know that saying about "When life closes a door, God opens a window"?

Well, I think God just helped this man build a whole new house.

Typewriter Art

Can you believe that this art was created using a typewriter?

Honor and Integrity in Life in Art

Nicole/Beadwright