Mouth artist Sam Livingstone painted his Bichon Maltese dog Mikelo who died. Photo / Malisha Kumar
Sam Livingstone of Waikato never thought he would be an artist until a road accident left him a quadriplegic and art gave him a new purpose.
Before his accident, Livingstone was a real sports ace. He followed his dad to the gym from the age of 9, played rugby in high school, became a national champion in judo and had big plans for a career in electronics and the Navy.
Livingstone grew up in Tokoroa but left the town in 1992, aged 19, to study electronics at the polytechnic in Hamilton.
“I felt I always had a connection to [electronics] and I applied for the Navy because I wanted to go down the career path of being in the Navy forces so I could be a controller there. I had applied and been accepted for interviews and I was just heading into everything when it all suddenly changed”, he said.
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Four months into his studies, Livingstone was riding his motorbike when he was hit by a car.
The accident left him a quadriplegic, meaning he lost the function of all four limbs and became paralysed from the neck down.
A couple of months after the accident he felt “a twinge in the bicep” which allowed him enough movement to drive a mobility scooter.
“So there is a bit of freedom and I’m thankful for that.”
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Livingstone said his family, especially his mother Maureen, had been his biggest support system.
“She’s always been there physically and emotionally for me … She’s a great inspiration and everything I’ve achieved I owe it to her because I couldn’t have done anything without her support.
“Art is never a career I thought I’d be doing … [but Maureen was] the one who encouraged me to take up art classes and I ended up at the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists Association [MFPA] in the early 2000s”, he said.
Livingstone applied for a scholarship with the association and was awarded student membership, which gave him access to training and allowed him to buy brushes and other materials. He remains a student to this day.
His favourite things to paint are animals and landscapes. In an exciting recent achievement, his painting Light Breeze was selected to be featured in the MFPA Christmas products sold throughout New Zealand and Australia this year.
Light Breeze was inspired by the season of summer and will be featured on a desk calendar in the Christmas range.
“My artwork is a piece to push the aspect of open air. It’s all about getting outdoors, enjoying nature, and just taking a break and relaxing. Everyone’s a bit busier in the summer and I find nature is much better than being in a city”, he said.
Looking back on his accident, Livingstone said losing his independence had been his biggest struggle.
“I was fully independent and I finally felt like it was time to step out of the small town and family life. The world was just starting to open up for me when it was all just taken away.
“I went from being physically and emotionally independent … to having to rely on other people.
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“I never felt resentment from the accident, because there was a life before it and there still is life after”, he said.
Livingstone’s word of advice for anyone going through the same thing is, “don’t live your life in regret”.
“[Don’t] internalise too much, think about everything else. It takes time to adjust but you have to find yourself again, you have to stay positive as life goes on because there will always be a change of direction and life is always about adapting.”
However, he didn’t fully have to give up on his passion for electronics: When he isn’t painting, he flies model aircraft.
The Mouth and Foot Painting Artist Association is an international organisation founded in 1956 by a group of European artists.
It was established as a self-help group, giving people with disabilities the opportunity to fulfil their creative ambitions while still maintaining financial independence by selling their art.
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Malisha Kumar is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined the Waikato Herald in 2023 after working for Radio 1XX in Whakatāne.
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