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Visitors to the Royal Easter Show art exhibition had the opportunity to view the work of Mahurangi-based mouth painter Martin Payne.
Martin, aged 53, suffered a spinal injury in a car accident when he was 18. He took up painting by mouth 12 years ago after losing the use of his hands.
Before his accident, he worked as a shearer with not a lot of interest in art.
“Painting is a difficult process as I have to rely on a helper to deal with my equipment,” he says.
“But I joined the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists’ group and the support has been really good.”
Martin can only paint for about 90 minutes a day and one painting takes roughly six weeks to complete.
But this hasn’t stopped him from producing more than 50 works of art, including one last year that received a merit award at the Royal Easter Show in the mouth and foot category.
His proudest moment was when one of his works was chosen by a Singapore Gallery.
This year he competed with a coastal landscape painting of Cape Reinga.
Landscapes with people are his favourite subjects to paint, but he also enjoys portraiture.
He admits he still has a long way to go before he gets the desired finish on his work, but says he is constantly inspired by the skill level of the other mouth and foot painters.
Martin currently lives in Puhoi but is building a house in Matakana.
