Jayantilal Shihora

Born on 17 April 1943 in Gujarat, Mr Jayantilal Shihora grew up as a healthy son of a grain merchant in Gujarat. At the age of fourteen, he lost both arms in an accident with fireworks. He describes the months following as a “dark period full of depression”. Five years after his accident, he learned that there were artists who could paint with their mouth or feet. With perseverance and diligence, he practised drawing and writing with a pencil in his mouth. Soon afterwards he was able to control both pencil and paintbrush in his mouth. In 1963 he received a scholarship from the association which gave him the opportunity to begin his studies in Fine Arts.

In 1964, Jayantilal won first prize for his artwork. From that point on his paintings led him from one success to the other, and in 1994 he became an Associate Member of MFPA. Jayantilal mainly paints with oil and tempera. For the most part, his subjects are from his Indian hometown. Inspired equally by European classical painters and Indian artists, Jayantilal has developed his own distinctive style. At first, he painted landscapes and sea scenes. For some time now he has been concentrating on traditional Indian art. Jayantilal has already received numerous prizes and awards for his pictures which have led to frequent reports being written on him by the media.