Ahipara mouth artist Kevin Griffiths painting his latest colourful creation.
Ahipara mouth artist Kevin Griffiths painting his latest colourful creation.
Kevin Griffiths’ artworks have been bought and viewed by millions across the globe and one of his latest colourful creations will feature in a 2026 calendar to be bought by tens of thousands of people.
The Far North artist paints by holding a brush in his mouth. His painting, Echoes in the Field, features in the Christmas range produced by the Mouth and Foot Paintings Artists (MFPA), an international art group of which he is a member.
MFPA has 850 members in 84 countries – including 25 in New Zealand – and the artworks are always a big seller.
Griffiths said his painting started without a specific plan. He simply allowed his ideas to emerge as he laid down the paint.
“I knew I wanted to include some poppies, and this is the result of giving myself some artistic licence. As you can see, I enjoy incorporating vibrant colours into my paintings.”
Ahipara mouth artist Kevin Griffiths’ painting ‘Echoes in the Field’.
The selection of the pictures for the Christmas range is made by a panel of European experts, and this year include paintings by seven New Zealand artists.
Griffiths has been mouth-painting for more than 25 years.
He broke his neck and lost the use of his hands in a swimming accident at age 13.
Following his accident, he continued his education and became interested in various forms of art, which inspired him to travel extensively throughout the world.
In 1991 he was awarded the Bruce Hopkins Memorial Award, a competition that started more than 20 years ago to commemorate Bruce Hopkins’ contribution to the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists (MFPA) and artists with disabilities throughout New Zealand.
Since then, he has received the coveted prize four times. He became an MFPA Student Member in 1992 and an Associate Member in 2001.
The Mouth and Foot Painting Artists earn income through the sale of products illustrated with their paintings.
Although this started with Christmas cards, today it includes a wide range of products, including special occasion cards, jigsaws, tea sets, address books, calendars, Christmas serviettes and placemats, gift tags and wrapping paper.
Founded in 1956 by a group of European artists, the MFPA is a self-help organisation that gives people with disabilities the opportunity to fulfil their creative ambitions while still maintaining financial independence by selectively selling their artworks.
To become a student member, an artist must qualify by painting using a brush held in either their mouth or foot, having lost the use of their hands through an illness or accident.
To learn more about MFPA or purchase products, visit www.mfpa.co.nz
