Glenn Barnett

Glenn Barnett was born on 28 September 1917 in Port Lincoln.  In 1962, Glenn Barnett broke his neck in a diving accident which left him a tetraplegic, confined to the wheelchair. After the accident, he spent about a year in the hospital. Back home, his son asked him to draw him a picture. The day after, he drew a straight line with a pen in his mouth. This was his first attempt at mouth painting. Since he did not have any training in the traditional sense, he then decided to study the history of art and learnt about the possibilities colours had to offer him.  He was introduced to MFPA through a television program and also of the fact that other disabled people paint in the way he does. As a result, he continued to experiment with various painting techniques.

In 1971 his initial works were published and in 1974 he became a Full Member of the MFPA. In the late ’70s, he determined his painting medium and settled for acrylics. His favourite subject is the native Australian landscape. In the course of the years, he presented his works to the public at numerous one-man exhibitions and he also participated in group exhibitions. He likes to talk about his experiences and gives demonstrations of his art to different groups.