Mouth and foot painting artists: Hamilton cafe showcases special watercolours

Hamilton artist Toni Leefe is showcasing her special watercolours at Mavis and Co Rototuna.

Hamilton artist Toni Leefe became a tetraplegic after a trampolining accident when she was 14 years old but that didn’t stop her from following her passion - painting.

Toni uses a wheelchair to get around as she has no use of her lower body and very limited use of her upper body but has learned to paint by holding the brush in her mouth.

Now, she is holding her first exhibition, called Watercolours of Life, Painted by Mouth, at the local cafe Mavis and Co in Rototuna. There are 11 watercolour paintings of landscapes, animals and buildings on show and all are for sale.

Toni says: “I’m thrilled to be staging my first exhibition and am very grateful to Chace and the team at Mavis and Co in conjunction with the Waikato Society of Art for giving me this opportunity to showcase my work in this space.”

“I predominantly paint in watercolour but have been experimenting with acrylic paints on canvas and venturing into the world of mixed media. I enjoy painting New Zealand scenes, flowers, and abstract paintings with a sense of New Zealand and the Pacific about them,” Toni says.

She currently lives in Hamilton with her husband Paul and son Korban and learned to paint using her mouth influenced by the late mouth painter Alex Craig.

Hamilton artist Toni Leefe is showcasing her special watercolours at Mavis and Co Rototuna.

Toni’s paintings are on display until August 31 at Mavis and Co Rototuna, 2/44 Horsham Downs Road. The cafe is open from Monday to Friday, 7.15am to 4.30pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 7.45am to 4.30pm.

Toni is a student member of the international group Mouth and Foot Painting Artists (MFPA).

Founded in 1956 by German artist Arnulf Erich Stegmann, the MFPA is a “self-help” organisation that provides disabled artists with a platform to express their artistic talent and offers an opportunity to earn an income through the sale of their artwork.

The MFPA only welcomes artists who have lost the use of their hands due to an illness or accident and paint by holding the brush in their mouth or with their feet. Today, the group has close to 800 members from 74 countries.