Typewriter Artist

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?