2020-08-01 Artists & Illustrators

Beingabletocreatesomething

fromnothing.I canspenda fewdays

paintinga piece,andit mightnotlook

orfeelright,butthenwitha few

marks,thewholethingsuddenly

comesalive.Plus,forme,art

meansI canbeatmyeaselinmy

ownlittleworld,fullyindependent

ofanyoneelse.

WHATAREYOURFAVOURITE

SUBJECTSTOPAINT?

Animalsseemtobemything[right].

I’mnotreallysurewhytobehonest.

Theyjustseemtoworkreallywellwith

mystyle.ThemoreI paintthem,the

moreI enjoypaintingthem.

WHATHASBEENYOUR

BIGGESTACHIEVEMENT

INARTSOFAR?

Mysecondexhibitionin 2018 wasa

bigweekendforme.Therewerea lot

ofnervesleadinguptoit.Wehad

closeto1,000peopleturnup

whichwashugely

overwhelming,butI enjoyedit.

It mademefeellikeI was

doingsomethingright.

AREYOUHAPPYTOBE

KNOWNASA“MOUTH

ARTIST”ANDNOTJUST

ANARTIST?

Yes,myaccidentis thereasonwhy

I paint,soI wantthestorybehindmy

artworktobepartofthereason

peoplecometoseeit orbuyit.

WHATKITDOYOUUSE?

I havea Leckeyeaselwitha tray

underneathformypaintsandwater.

ThenI havea mouthstickwitha small

clampontheendtoholdmybrush.

Howalife-changingaccident

ledapromisingrugbyplayerto

rediscoverachildhoodloveofart.

Interview:REBECCABRADBURY

HOWDIDYOURACCIDENT

HAPPEN?

BackinJuly2009,I wasonholiday

withmyfriendsinPortugalafterour

ASexams.Wewereatthebeachand

wedecidedtocooloffinthesea.AsI

divedin,I hitmyheadontheseabed.

It dislocatedthefourthvertebraein

myneckwhichseverelycrushedmy

spinalcordandleftmeparalysed

frommyshouldersdown.

HOWDIDYOUREDISCOVER

YOURLOVEFORART?

In2015,I wasreallyboredandfound

a drawing app on my iPad and started

to draw. I control an iPad the same

way I paint – with a mouth stick,

just with a stylus on the end [below].

I got a good response on social media,

so I stuck with it.

DID YOU ENJOY ART AT

SCHOOL?

I loved drawing and painting, but

when I was doing my GCSEs my rugby

was going really well so I focused on

that. Without my accident I never

would have rediscovered art and

the joy it gives me.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT ART THAT

GIVES YOU SO MUCH JOY?

WHATONEARTPRODUCT

CAN’T YOU LIVE WITHOUT?

Probably my gouache paints. I mostly

use Winsor & Newton [below right],

I just really enjoy the texture.

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT

WRITING YOUR BOOK,

THE POWER IN YOU?

All the chapters are based

around the questions I’m

frequently asked about

acceptance, my setbacks,

my loss of independence

and what I do all day. It

allows me to be open and

honest about how I deal

with the challenges I now

face every day.

WHAT DO PEOPLE MOST

OFTEN ASK YOU ABOUT?

I frequently get asked what’s my

favourite piece I’ve painted. I never

have a direct answer. I don’t think I’ve

ever been 100% happy with a piece,

but the challenge is fun.

Henry’s book, The Power In You,

is published by Orion Spring.

http://www.henryfraserart.com

Being able to create

something from

nothing with my art

gives me so much joy

FR ER

10 WITH

He ry