If you were to find yourself staring at the art work of A. Erich Stegmann, Peter Longstaff, Michael Monaco, Simon Mark Smith, and Matt Sesow; I would say that the odds of you guessing that these artists have experienced limb loss or quadrupligia would be very slim.

Their paintings are a testament that nothing can stand in our way when we commit to something with passion, desire, and persistence; not even art.

To label these artists as disabled would be a huge mistake, if anything they are more able than any of us; they have each creatively developed unorthodox techniques of expressing themselves artistically. A brief introduction of their artwork has been compiled below.


Arnulf Erich Stegmann (1912 - 1984)

Affected by at the age of two, Stegmann became a talented mouth painter. He founded and presided over the Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artitsts of the World until he passed away in Darmstadt, Germany in 1984.






Peter Longstaff

A foot painter, born without both of his arms due to a birth defect caused by the use of Thalidomide, a morning sickness drug  that was perscribed to women during their pregnancy.










Michael Monaco

A skillful mouth painter, Monaco was left quadruplegic after a automotive accident at the young age of 16. His work has been shown in exhibitions globally and he is a member of the Mouth and Foot Painters Association.








 



Simon Mark Smith

Although he is missing the lower portion of one of his arms as well as his right foot, it is very clear that Simon Mark Smith is a very talented artist; however, art is not his only talent, Smith''s talent expands into photography, poetry and web design as well.












Matt Sesow

A former US Paralympian, Peace Core volnteer, and IBM engineer who lost a hand and had his other arm reattached after a plane landed near his home. Sesow''s artistic style is without a doubt very unique. A style he himself calls "Thrash".










The following are some links to some of the artists featured above and their organizations.
 

Arnulf Erich Stegmann

Michael Monaco

Simon Mark Smith

Matt Sesow 


Other Resources:

International Guild of Disabled Artists & Performers

Disabled Artists Guild

VSA Arts