Art Created on a Typewriter

He lived at Rose Haven Nursing Home ( Roseburg , Oregon 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.

What an artist. Can you imagine how long it must have taken him to do these?
Hats off to you sir Paul Smith.