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Here is the archive of Wendell Johnson's paintings and drawings. Most of his paintings took him several months to complete. He worked in his studio as seen at the right, sitting upright in his hospital bed (he was strapped in to help him stay upright since he had no control of the muscles below his shoulders). As you can see, he used a brace strapped to his arm to hold pencils, pens and paintbrushes. A butterfly screw was tightened down to firmly hold his desired art tool. He never painted with his mouth, but rather, he worked by delicately controlling his immobile arm with his shoulders and biceps.
With no control over his triceps, fingers, or wrist, his biggest challenge was keeping stong enough to paint. When his ill health kept him away from painting, his muscles would weaken. To rebuild his muscles, Wendell made drawings to exercise his arms until they were strong enough, and then he would paint. It was physically exhausting for him, but he loved to create paintings and drawings... |
Wendell in 1980, working with his daughter, Wendy watching. Notice the brace on his arm, and the pillow used to prop him into an upright position. The table was made by his father specifically to fit on the hospital bed
Wendell with his brace, showing how the straps and butterfly screw held the paintbrush on his hand.
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