Paul
Smith, the man with extraordinary talent was born in
Not only had Paul beaten the odds of a life with spastic cerebral palsy, a
disability that impeded his speech & 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.
Video of Paul Smith at his
typewriter 3:37 minutes. Enlarge to full size screen