The Problem
The Problem We Set Out to Solve
Three barriers stand between a disabled artist and the painting they want to make.
Barrier 01
Disabled artists can only paint as far as they can reach
Mouth and Foot Painting Artists in India are extraordinarily skilled. But the brush they hold in their foot or mouth can only travel as far as their body can reach — usually about A4 size, around 21 by 30 centimetres. To paint anything larger takes them weeks, sometimes months of physical strain. By then, many customers have moved on.
Barrier 02
And they need help even at the size they can manage
Even after the painting starts, there's another barrier. The artist needs a helper sitting with them throughout — to hand them the right colour, to change dirty water, to keep the palette within reach. That helper requirement takes away the artist's independence.
"If I could change my own colours, I wouldn't need anyone with me."
— Nadeem Shaikh, foot-painting artist, Mumbai
Barrier 03
What this means for traditional Indian art
India's traditional art forms — Madhubani, Warli, Pattachitra, Tanjore, Gond — survive because real artists still paint them. When a disabled artist who carries one of these traditions can no longer reach across a large canvas, or needs constant help to paint anything, the world loses more than a painting. It loses a living connection to a tradition.
Madhubani
Bihar
Geometric patterns celebrating nature and mythology
Warli
Maharashtra
Geometric figures depicting village life and harvest
Pattachitra
Odisha
Scroll paintings narrating stories of Hindu deities
Tanjore
Tamil Nadu
Classical paintings with gold foil and gemstones
Gond
Madhya Pradesh
Dot patterns inspired by spirits in nature
SPARSH is what we built to give back to disabled artists what their bodies have taken — reach, time, and independence.