Open Centre

The MFPA (mouth and foot painting artists) is a world wide organisation of over 700 artists in 70 countries.

So when I heard that three local artists were holding an exhibition and demonstrating painting techniques in Princes Quay Shopping Centre, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to splash paint around, and so I went to the exhibition to meet the artists.

Katrina Gardener, Jon Clayton and David Cawthorne were holding the exhibition.

Each of our three local artists is disabled for a different reason but all share a talent to amaze and impress the passing public with their artistic skills.

Katrina Gardener was born in Hull in 1962 and Due to the drug Thalidomide she was born with very short arms, however Katrina went on to bringing up four children.

She told me “I actually used my feet at a very young age naturally, because of not having the use of my arms”.

Jon Clayton was involved in a traffic accident when he was eighteen years old.

The accident left him without the use of his arms or legs.

He discovered a passion for painting shortly after the accident when his mother bought him a ‘painting by numbers kit’.

Jon told me “It was quite difficult to get the different techniques and various strokes but over time you just learn to adapt”.

I talked to David Cawthorne while he was painting a snowscape with his mouth.

David took up playing Rugby at weekends as a hobby and when he was eighteen years old he broke his neck during a game.

He is now an associate member of the MFPA.

David explained “I don’t always look at myself as being disabled I look at myself as somebody who enjoys life, just be normal with people and they tend to forget about your disability quite quickly”.

It’s truly amazing to see the work that these artists can create by only using their mouth and feet to paint!

It wasn’t long before Katrina had my socks off and a paint brush between my toes to show me some tricks of the trade!