Painting With No Hands

There’s something about art paintings that draws me in. Whether the subjects are people, landscapes, flowers, sunlit forests, or street scenes I always marvel at the chromatic interplay of colour tones and shadows in every brushstroke. 

So when I first received art greeting cards from Mouth and Foot Painting Artists (MFPA) in Singapore years ago, both the artworks and the artists struck me. My first thought: This is another level of awe-inspiring. 

You see, local artists who learned to draw and paint with the brush using their mouth or toes rendered them all.  Although they have been deprived of the use of their limbs due to illness, injury or birth defects, these brave creative artists had painfully overcome their handicap to make a living through their paintings that are reproduced on cards, calendars and other items. 

What I admire most: these artists are not accepting charity. 

“Self Help, Not Charity.” This is the core principle behind MFPA. For the cards I receive, it doesn’t pressure me to donate. Even if I don’t, I get to keep the cards – which motivates me even more to support them. 

Aaron Yeo Kwok Chian

Aaron Yeo Kwok Chian lived a normal life. He was on his way home from work in November 2006 when he tragically got into a motorcycle accident that forever changed his life. He was only 26. 

His spinal cord was severely injured that incapacitated him to move the upper and lower parts of the body. Long after his hospital discharge, the tetraplegic was at a loss what to do for the rest of his life. 

“I was devastated. I used to be very independent and, suddenly, I needed help for even the simplest daily tasks like toileting and getting dressed,” says the mouth painting artists.

In 2008 he met another tetraplegic, Gilbert Tan Yue Liang, who introduced Aaron to mouth painting.  MFPA accepted him as a student member a year later, and has been painting since.  

“The biggest hurdle was getting started as I had never painted before. Luckily, I had a friend who helped me get all the necessary items for painting, and I borrowed books from the library and learned from them. The biggest challenges of mouth painting are the muscle fatigue from using the neck to create the strokes and from biting the brush for long periods of time,” he recalls.

Aaron, now 42, found his voice –and hidden talent – in painting. Being a part of MFPA has set him free from being a financial burden to his family and makes him proud of his accomplishments. 

“I did not enjoy painting at first as I found it difficult and tiring. But as I improved and found my niche I am very passionate about it now,” Aaron says, encouraging those who are in the same situation as he is to not give up. (Paintings by Aaron below)

Former Chinese language teacher Zhang Kaini was 29 when she met an accident that paralysed her from the shoulders down. She resolved not to allow herself to sink into depression. Inspired by Joni Eareckson, a well-known American quadriplegic mouth artist, Kaini started to paint with her mouth. 

“Firstly, I watched a CD that a pastor from my church gave me about a paralysed-turned-painter called Joni Eareckson and was inspired by her. At that time, around 2006, my children were in kindergarten and I wanted to teach them how to write Chinese characters. I tried to hold a pen between my teeth to teach them how to write their Chinese name. From there, I started to think that if I could use my mouth to write, I can use my mouth to paint too, especially since I’ve always loved painting from a young age,” recounts Kaini.

Zhang Kaini

“The biggest difficulty is my sitting tolerance. After the accident, my blood pressure became much lower than normal, and so every time I sat up, I would be hit with dizziness that made it difficult to even start painting. At first, I could only paint for 15 minutes before I had to lie down to regain my blood pressure. Slowly, I could paint for 30 minutes, followed by 45 minutes and so on,” she shares.

Another obstacle she faced was difficulty in controlling her breathing while holding the brush between her teeth as it would make the brush shake. Often, she had to hold her breath when painting very fine details.

But she persevered to overcome these difficulties. Her persistence paid off. 

“From then on, my painting skills have been improving day by day and through the years, I’ve experimented with multiple different art mediums, from watercolour to acrylic to oil paintings,” says the mother of two. 

“My paintings are colourful and cheerful. They reflect my life. I want my artworks to inspire others to be courageous and optimistic,” says Kaini. She dreams of having a solo exhibition someday. Through her active participation in life and art, she wants society to take notice and care more for the physically challenged. (Paintings by Kaini below)

It has been 18 years since that tragedy hit Kaini. Aware that there are many like her, the 47-year-old painting artist encourages them never to give up hope. 

“Don’t belittle yourself and deem yourself as useless or hopeless — you never know what you are capable of unless you try. You are not a disabled person, just a differently-abled person! Don’t give up your image, continue to take care of yourself and how you look. Once you give this up, this is the first step to giving up on yourself as a whole. Always believe that you can still look beautiful, energetic and graceful despite whatever you have been through. I think it is important because if you like the person you see in the mirror, you will feel confident and others will also think of you as more approachable and inspiring.” 

Paintings reproduction on cards: (L-R top) Tan Kok Leong and Yang En-Tien. (L-R bottom) Yim Hyung-Jae and Daniel Tan Beng Leong.

Paintings reproduction on cards (clockwise): William Chia Yong Liang, Mariam Pare and Hwang Jung Eon.

The story of mouth and foot artists began six decades ago. Polio-stricken German painter Erich Stegmann (1912 – 1984) lost the use of his hands at the age of two. He founded MFPA in 1959 by gathering a small band of handicapped artists from eight European countries. The goal: make a living through their artistic efforts, and obtain a sense of work security. It was established as a co-operative organisation that reproduced its artists’ work on cards, calendars and books. 

The word charity was as abhorrent as the word pity to Erich. MFPA must never be regarded as a charity simply because its members are disabled. His dictum “Self Help – Not Charity” echoes in the halls of MFPA worldwide. 

MFPA has grown into an international for-profit association wholly owned and run by artists whose disability prohibits them from using their hands. There are currently 15 Singapore artists and more than 800 artists worldwide from over 78 countries. 

The artists’ original paintings are reproduced on greeting cards, calendars, notebooks, bookmarks and a wide range of other products as well as sold to patrons and donors. 

I get MFPA cards in my mail twice a year. I’m more than glad to support these artists with no hands. They are an exemplary symbol of courage in adversity.

Debbie | ws

Images courtesy of Aaron Yeo Kwok Chian (top) and Zhang Kaini (below).

To find out more about the international organisation: www.vdmfk.com 

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