A Croydon artist who had one arm amputated and lost the use of his other arm in a horrific accident has spoken of how he learned to paint using his mouth.

Despite not having the use of his hands, 44-year-old Andy Baker has honed his artistic skills by using his mouth to hold paint brushes.

His work is being promoted by the Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists - an organisation set up to provide an independent livelihood for artists who are unable to use their hands - of which Andy is a member.

Andy, who lives in Violet Lane, almost died when his motorbike crashed in Switzerland in 1983.

Andy said: "I had my left arm amputated and my right arm was left broken and paralysed after my accident. I was only 20. I was riding my motorbike at 75 miles an hour in Switzerland when I fell asleep and crashed. I was extremely lucky not to have died.

"I was never the type of person to sit around and feel sorry for myself. I did a lot of travelling after my accident. I was already using my mouth to sign cheques, purely because I didn't want to take my shoes and socks off every time I went out. So using my mouth seemed the more logical of the two.

"I had always been a bit reluctant to take up art, because both my older brother and sister became established artists. However, I was eventually persuaded to give it a go by a Canadian artist who then taught me how to paint using my mouth."

Andy discovered he had talent and in 1996 he became a member of the Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists. The organisation was set up by Erich Stegmann in 1956 to provide an independent livelihood for artists without the use of their hands.

All members of the international partnership are chronically disabled and all earn their own living, independent of charity.

To become full members, their work must be of a standard which can compete with conventional artists. Once accepted as a member they are guaranteed a substantial income for life - even if they are unable to paint.

Some of this income comes from the sale of their work through greetings cards, calendars and other merchandise.

Andy added: "The thing I love about this organisation is that is supports and encourages artists with disabilities such as ours to make an independent living from our work. It also really boosts your self esteem. It shows that people can still acheive what they want to, even if they have got a disability like ours."

The Association has just launched its Christmas card collection for 2007. For further information, visit www.mfpa.co.uk or call 020 8964 0260.