For 60 years, the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists (MFPA) has helped gifted artists make a living primarily through the sales of their artistic creations. This organization celebrates self-reliance and creative expression and includes more than 800 artists from more than 80 countries around the globe. About 70 of these artists are located in the United States.
One of the ways in which these artists showcase their work that is easily accessible to art lovers is through the sales of Christmas cards. These cards are high-quality reproductions of the original work from artists connected to MFPA.
Mariam Paré had always been interested in art. One may think that her dreams of working as an artist would have been dashed after she was shot in the back when she was 20, which left her a quadriplegic, but that is not what happened. Through passion, practice and perseverance Paré is an accomplished artists who uses her mouth to make some fascinating and beautiful works of art. She even got to meet Pierce Brosnan after she painted a portrait of him.
Alana Tillman was born without the use of her hands and arms.Not wanting to suppress her creativity, she learned how to paint with her mouth. She takes pride in her work and “wants to be judged by the quality of her work, rather than the way she creates it.” However, she wants the world to know about the good work done by MFPA.
Artists Mariam Paré and Alana Tillman spoke with Michelle Tompkins for TheCelebrityCafe.com about their personal journeys, why MFPA is important, their advice for people who are stuck in a rut, how self-reliance and positivity are important, how they define quality of life, where they draw their creative inspiration, what they like to do for fun and more.
Learn more about Mariam Paré, Alana Tillman and other artists, as well as check out all available cards for the 2017 holiday season by visiting www.MFPAUSA.com