In spite of her disability, she has become a distinguished artist.
Leanne Beetham, 26-year-old disabled artist uses a brush held in her mouth to create an amazing wildlife scenes paintings and with her fine strokes, vibrant colors and incredible detail, makes her masterpieces among the best around.
Beetham has been painting this way ever since she was three years old for the reason that she cannot use her hands and legs after being born with the rare arthrogryposis syndrome, which affects her spine and joints.
Regardless of her disability, she has become a celebrated photographer and artist whose paintings of wildlife have sold for hundreds of dollars. Currently, she is planning to go abroad and paint the amazing wildlife of South Africa and Botswana.
“I often paint from photos I've taken in zoos and other parks, but I have always wanted to paint truly wild animals, which is why my focus at the moment is getting to Africa. I love all animals. I have tried to focus on painting other things, but I find I always come back to animals. There's something special about them for me and Africa is a place I've always dreamed of going,” Beetham explained.
Her paintings exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts when she was a teenager and held her first solo exhibition in 2013 at the John Street Gallery in Hull hoping to raise $16,000 to finance her expedition.
“I hope to visit South Africa and Botswana. These are some of the best places to see wildlife and the richest for animal diversity. But I'm trying to stay flexible, as it depends on which places are best to cater for my needs as a disabled person. I need to fund not only myself but two carers to go with me too. That doesn't include the cost of special equipment I will need out there, such as a hoist, the hire of a wheelchair-capable car and an electricity supply for my wheelchair and pressure-relieving mattress,” she said.
Once in Africa, Beetham hopes to produce paintings and photographs which she will use for an exhibition to persuade other disabled individuals to follow their dreams.
“I take photos using specially-adapted equipment that fits onto my wheelchair and enables me to use my camera with my mouth and with limited use of my left hand. I want to demonstrate that just because people are disabled, it doesn't mean they need live restricted lives. Sometimes you might have to take the scenic route to get to your final target, and sometimes dreams have to be put on hold. This can be off-putting but it doesn't mean the challenges are impossible to overcome. It's only impossible if you give up,” according to Beetham.
She has a degree in applied animal behavior, uses paint and graphite to make her drawings, which can take more than eight hours to complete at a sitting.
In 2006, one of her paintings was sold for $1,200 at Christies in London in support of the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation and her exhibition in Hull last year raised money for the Withernsea Royal National Lifeboat Institution helping to replace equipment which had been stolen.
Beetham said her successes to date should motivate anyone who is afraid of living creatively.
“If you enjoy it, why be afraid of it? You only get one life, so enjoy it and make the most of it. Everyone has an opinion, and there will always be that one person you'll never be able to please, but you need to think there will also be many others who love what you do,” she added.
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