Artist With Cerebral Palsy Uses Technology To Create Beautiful Hands-Free Artworks

Astro Saulter was born with cerebral palsy, severely limiting his ability to move or communicate. Despite this disability, Saulter, a 34-year-old from Negril, Jamaica, is an established digital artist.

The gifted creative crafts colorful and imaginative forms from fantastical portraits to exotic birds using tools like Inkscape and EZ-Keys, which allow Saulter to create without using his hands. Saulter's computer connects to a head-switch on the back of his wheelchair, allowing him to use it with his head, instead of his hands.

Thanks to advanced technology and an unbreakable spirit, Saulter can now contribute to the broader art dialogue with his digitized aesthetic and boundless imagination. He has been an artist for the past 10 years.

"Without art, it would have been otherwise very difficult to know and to see what is going on in his mind," said gallery owner Rozi Chung, who once exhibited Saulter's work. "He has given hope to many like himself who live with this challenge and also offer inspiration to those who might not have seen art as a vehicle to express themselves when they feel powerless and without hope."

"I take a lot of pride and enthusiasm in imagining and creating new art all the time," Saulter says in the video above. "No matter who you are or where you come from even if you have a disability, if you have a dream or a vision of something that you really want to do in life you must face it and challenge that goal head on."

Saulter's work is now on view at the National Gallery of Jamaica. Hear his remarkable story above, which we discovered on The Creator's Project.