The Brief
- Sonoma County artist Alona Tillman, born with arthrogryposis, paints using her mouth and feet; her work appears in the MFPA calendar.
- Her art highlights Sonoma County’s farm life and vineyards and provides her income and recognition.
- She founded an organization that offers painting-and-wine classes to raise awareness for mouth and foot artists.
SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. – A Sonoma County artist is gaining attention for her impressionistic landscapes, and her technique, using only her mouth and feet to paint.
A rare condition
This year, one of Alona Tillman’s landscape paintings was selected for the U.S. edition of the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists (MFPA) calendar, an international association representing more than 800 artists worldwide.
Tillman, who was born with arthrogryposis, a rare condition that affected the development of her hands, has been creating art since she was 5-years old.
“I feel like I have the most control using my mouth,” Tillman said from her Sonoma County studio. “I’ll put the paintbrush between my teeth and use my tongue to brace the tool.”…