Brom Wikstrom is an American

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...

from

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

, who paints by mouth. He is a life member of The International Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists. His paintings have been displayed around the world.

Early life

Wikstrom was born in Seattle, Washington. He graduated from Queen Anne High School where he illustrated the school yearbook and went on to complete a 2-year course in advertising art at Seattle College.

Career

Wikstrom began his career as an apprentice in his father's commercial art studio, and then became a sign painter. He also hitchhiked and hopped freight trains around the country including a journey to attend the 1973 Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival. He later worked as a seafood processor in

Dutch Harbor Dutch Harbor is a harbor on Amaknak Island in Unalaska, Alaska. It was the location of the Battle of Dutch Harbor in June 1942, and was one of the few sites in the United States to be subjected to aerial bombardment by a foreign power during Worl ...

, Alaska and for an industrial electric display company in New Orleans. Wikstrom sustained an injury to his spinal cord while swimming in the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

and became a high–level quadriplegic at the age of 21. After a lengthy rehabilitation he began to paint using his mouth to hold the brush and started volunteering his time at Children's Hospital in Seattle. He speaks to school and community groups and operates his own gallery in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood titled Wikstrom Brothers Gallery. His paintings are included in many collections such as Ballard High School in Seattle. His paintings have been displayed around the world and he has served as delegate to conventions in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

Lima, Peru Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

and

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Honors and awards

Wikstrom has given painting demonstrations to the Emperor and Empress of Japan,

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...

and thousands of people around the world. Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire appointed Brom a commissioner on the Washington State Arts Commission. In 2011, Wikstrom was presented an award as artist-in-action during Seattle's Annual Uptown Stroll. He was awarded a fellowship to the Vermont Studio Center in 2015. He and his wife toured the entire country by van after spending a month developing his art at the creative center.

Personal life

Wikstrom lives in Seattle with his wife Anne,"ACCESSIBLE HOME SITS SKY HIGH OVER SEATTLE"
''San Diego Union Tribune''. By Rebecca Teagarden Jan. 10, 2015 a gardener, dental hygienist and world traveler. He is a Life member and past president of the Puget Sound Group of Northwest Artists. He has worked as staff receptionist at the Burke Museum of Natural History at the University of Washington since 1984.

References

External links

VideoWebsiteThe Mouth and Foot Painting ArtistsWashington State Arts Commission
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wikstrom, Brom Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Painters from Seattle Mouth and foot painting artists American artists with disabilities