Nyla Gladine Thompson, Mouth Painter, c. 1950s Original Oil Painting on Postcard old mercantile signage The rectangular frames on each

The rectangular frames on each side hold small mirrors

clean and bright

This old painting just made me laugh when I saw it--not just for the pipe this little boy (I assume) is smoking

deep and even basketweave texture

I especially love that they show a bit of swagger

Nyla Gladine Thompson, Mouth Painter, c. 1950s Original Oil Painting on Postcard old mercantile signage The rectangular frames on eachI didn't quite understand the meaning of "mouth artist" handwritten on the back of this hand painted postcard when I found it, or recognize the name of Nyla G. Thompson of Austin, TX who signed it, but a little googling led me the fabulous folk outsider collector Jim Linderman's Dull Tool Dim Bulb blog, where I learned a bunch about her, including that she did, as a polio survivor, indeed paint by holding a paintbrush in her mouth. [here's a link] As