And then it takes an exceptional person to go ahead and paint by whatever means possible, let alone with the skill and talent that Simon Rigg displays.

Spurred on by the thought of his grandchildren, Warrnambool artist Mr Rigg has just produced a series of animal paintings for a jigsaw puzzle making up the 2014 Mouth and Foot Painting Artists (MFPA) range of products.

“My grandkids have always loved doing puzzles, so when I was painting they were always on my mind,” he said. 

Painting with a brush held in his mouth, Mr Rigg has risen above adversity to produce artwork of a standard to rival any able-bodied artist. 

In 1982, Mr Rigg fell more than three metres while repairing a shed roof on his own property in central Victoria, leaving him a quadriplegic and confined to a wheelchair. Over the years he has found fulfilment through his art and has been an active artist of the MFPA since 1989. The new MFPA World of Animals Puzzles feature 20 different animals painted by Mr Rigg, produced as a set of simple three-piece puzzles suitable for smaller children and toddlers.