Background
Smith was born in 1921 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Smith was born in 1921 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
He suffered from severe spastic cerebral palsy from an early age. The loss of fine motor control of his face and hands made it impossible for him to attend school—or even eat, clothe, or bathe himself—and also made it difficult for him to express himself. Early in life Paul discovered the typewriter and a technique for using it to create pictures.
He was able to use one hand to steady the other and thus press the desired key.
He was creating typewriter art by the age of 15 and steadily refined his technique. In the 1940s, Paul"s family moved to Hollywood, Florida.
Paul never married and had no children. In 1967 he entered a retirement facility.
Death and afterward As he aged, Smith"s cataracts worsened, and he was not able to create art of as high a quality.
He stopped creating pictures in 2004. Smith died in June 2007.