JUST A TYPEWRITER

He lived at Rose Haven Nursing Home, in Roseburg , Oregon for years.  Paul Smith, the man with  extraordinary talent was born 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, 2009, but left behind a collection of his 

amazing artwork that will be an inspiration for many.  

Humor --

EXCERPT FROM BBC QUIZ PROGRAMS 

BBC NORFOLK
Stewart White:  Who had a worldwide hit with “What A Wonderful World?”
Contestant:  I don't know.
Stewart White:  I'll give you some clues: what do you call the part between your hand and your elbow?
Contestant:  Arm
Stewart White:  Correct. And if you're not weak, you're...?
Contestant:  Strong.
Stewart White:  Correct - and what was Lord Mountbatten's first name?
Contestant:  Louis
Stewart White:  Well, there we are then. So who had a worldwide hit with the song “What A Wonderful World?”
Contestant:  Frank Sinatra?