Born on 15 October 1970 in New Zealand, Wayne Te Rangi was injured in a freak work accident in 1985 which left him a tetraplegic. As part of his rehab, he enrolled in art classes at the Otara Spinal Unit in Auckland. There he quickly developed the skill of mouth-painting and went on to win many awards and scholarships.
Te Rangi received a scholarship in 1993 and was accepted as an MFPA Student member. In the same year, he won āBest Amateurā and āMost Promising Artistā in the Bruce Hopkins Awards and went on to win Awards in 2001, 2004 and 2005. He enjoyed painting landscapes, still-life and animals. Painting with his mouth isnāt holding this South Auckland man back from being an international artist.
