My next studies in the physical impairment section were inspired by the MFPA (Mouth and Foot Painting Artists). I was amazed by the detailed painting of these artists, however, I suppose it’s like any skill really – practice makes perfect. I thought I would have a try and see if I could create an interesting study that shows impairment.
This was my first drawing on an A1 scale as I thought it would be easier to just draw big rather than struggle to control the movement and shape on a small scale. At first, I had tried to use the pen between my toes, however, I found that it just kept falling out, so instead, I taped the pen next to my toes as if I had 6 toes. This worked out so much better and I was able to control the lines better.
The second study was much more difficult because of logistics between the pen and my mouth saliva, so I probably won’t attempt this again. The scale was smaller but I still found it difficult to bite down on the pen whilst creating shapes. The drawing itself worked out okay and I don’t mind that, like the first study, the shapes and lines aren’t quite perfect and have repeated themselves.
They both represent beauty in unusual ways and I think that’s important to remember that not everything has to be perfect to be beautiful.
I learned from this that when something malfunctions, it’s not the end of the world, we do the best we can and we adapt to the situation. The physical impairment side of things is quite different from the usual sort of ‘internal unbalance’ malfunctions because it’s not necessarily reversible. Furthermore, this has shown me that not all malfunctions are ‘bad’ and while it may make some situations more difficult, it could provide an opportunity to embrace it and create something beautiful, whether that’s something physical like art or something intangible like a career or a message.
Viktoria Collins UAL FMP 