G.A. Viray
When someone says, “I cannot do that”, Paul says, “What can you do?”
Paul Smith is not just any ordinary artist. He isn’t just any other ordinary cerebral palsy patient too. He creates beautiful masterpieces!
Paul was born in 1921 and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. His doctors believed back then that he wouldn’t live that long. However, he has proven them wrong and has lived a full life until the age of 85. That’s actually longer than the average life span of an adult male, way much longer than the life span of people who are afflicted with cerebral palsy.
What was amazing about Paul’s life was not just his talents or gifts but his determination. It took him 16 long years to learn how to speak and 32 years to walk!
At the age of 11, Paul developed his interest in a typewriter. His neighbor threw away a typewriter which he started to play with. It was very helpful for him since he cannot grasp anything at that time. He would punch the keys to express himself. And eventually, he was able to build artworks through that typewriter. Yes, he does his art with a typewriter and with just a few symbols! Look closely at his masterpieces and you would see these characters: – !, @, #, %, ^, _, (, &, ) – those symbols make up his artworks!
Photo Credit: Hubpages
Paul’s artworks count up to over 400. Now, his artworks line up the walls of Rose Haven Nursing Center in Oregon where he stayed since 1967. Living there, he still had an active life, became a Master Chess Player and a member of the Knights of Columbus. However, due to his old age, he developed a cataract in 2004. He stopped doing his art then, and passed away in 2007. His artwork and legacy has gone past the typewriter days. In this modern era, Paul Smith’s masterpieces are beyond what any other artist can ever create.
Photo Credit: Hubpages
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