Keystroke by keystroke, he types his latest masterpiece in an Oregon nursing home.
But Paul Smith is not an author; he's an artist.
"I'm going to work on the tail."
He was born with severe cerebral yet Paul Smith has created hundreds of works of art using a typewriter.
You give me a typewriter; I can't even type 12 words a minute looking at my hands, okay.
There is no way that I can come up with a picture like that.
Every time I flip through the work, I'm just amazed, because it's as good as art as you can find.
Paul's movements are severely limited; his determination—endless.
His disorder makes using a brush or a pen impossible, but as a young man, he discovered the keys to expressing himself at the top of a typewriter keyboard.
Using just 10 of the symbol keys, he taught himself to paint.
Look closely, and you can see how Paul typed pound signs to create the facial detail on his Mona Lisa.
Here, the "@" symbol doubles for desk drawer knobs in this scene of his childhood bedroom.
Note the typewriter prominently displayed.
Paul has created incredibly detailed pictures by artistically aligning those 10 keys against a black or colored ribbon.
"It's something to do."
His joy in life is finding ways to be creative.
I think he sees it. Now, that's part of why he's on Earth; why we are on Earth.
Well, I think the dog now has a tail.
When someone says, "I could never do that," Paul answers, "What can you do?"
Places Paul's lived or visited are the inspiration for much of his art.
Some of which lines the hallway of Rose Haven Nursing Center.
Here's a lot of memories on this wall. Let's see—that's the ship you went to Bermuda.
"My whole family went."
His family now is the staff and residents of Rose Haven, where he has lived since 1967.
Hey, Paul! How are you doing today?
Great.
Are you still working on that dog?
Yes.
Hi, sweetie, how are you doing?
And he's such a terrific person. He's such a humble man—a real gentle soul.
She's really nice.
Yeah.
Thanks, Paul. It's easy to be nice.
Paul Smith would much rather brag about his friends at Rose Haven than about himself or his art.
"He's a good guy. He's a real good guy." d those who know him say the same thing about Paul—the artist is even more inspiring than his art.
It's wonderful to watch him work, and it's wonderful to enjoy his art, but not as good as it's...as enjoying him.
Deeply religious, Paul says his artistic ability is a gift from God.
His faith and something else keeps him going.
"My finger."
Your finger?
And with that finger for as long as he is able, this extraordinary man will continue creating his extraordinary art, one keystroke at a time.
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