Kerrin Tilley was born on 19 May 1967 in Opotiki. In 1988 he was so seriously injured in a crush while attending a rugby match that he became tetraplegic (C1/C5). In the unit for spinal injuries at the Otara hospital in Auckland he met the mouth painters and VDMFK artists Grant Sharman, Irene Bernie, Tommy Waru and Alex Craig as well as the wonderful art tutor Doreen Jones. All these people motivated him to become involved in mouth painting. Kerrin Tilley’s favourite subjects are landscapes and animals.
Many of his works have repeatedly been shown at exhibitions and have won great praise. Eventually he became an associate member of the association in 2001. Kerrin Tilley’s hobbies include watching all kinds of sports as well as saltwater fishing for which he uses an electric fishing rod.
