June 16, 2009
FW: Typewriter Art Work
He lived at Rose Haven Nursing Home (Roseburg, OR) for years. Paul Smith, the man with extraordinary talent was born in Philadelphia 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, 2007, but left behind a collection of his amazing artwork that will be an inspiration for many..
These pictures are unbelievable. Strange we should just now be hearing about him. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.
Check out Paul Smith’s site
Can you believe that this art was created using a typewriter?
“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”
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