Kendrell Daniels focuses intently on a canvas laid out before him on the floor.
He takes his brush, dips it in black paint on a drop cloth and adds another stroke to his painting.
Like any seasoned artist, he holds the brush just tightly enough to maintain control while also allowing it to bend and create smooth lines.
Unlike most artists though, he holds the brush in his feet.
“Painting (with my feet) was kind of different, which (was) difficult,” Daniels told The Dispatch. “You kind of shy away from it, but I’m glad I did continue … because it actually ended up good for me.”
Daniels, 26, was born without arms but learned how to paint using his feet about six years ago. He has sold more than 100 paintings, earning about $50,000, and he counts some famous company among his clients.
“Until I started painting and making connections at Mississippi State, my life was just simple – waking up, going to school or just sitting in the bed all day,” Daniels said. “So I didn’t have a social life or friends or any of that. So painting and meeting people here in Starkville or at Mississippi State, it opened up a whole new journey for me.”
Growing up in Kemper County, Daniels said he often found himself excluded from activities other students participated, like sports or clubs and organizations, which made it difficult to socialize.
Daniels said the lack of options made him unsure what career he wanted to pursue until he enrolled in the Express Yourself! art program at MSU’s T.K. Martin Center for Technology and Disability. The program offers adults or children with disabilities the opportunity to create paintings, drawings or ceramics to sell at the center.
When he first started going to the program around 2015, Daniels said he mainly would tell staff members what he wanted to paint, and they would do it for him. While he enjoyed seeing the finished product, he realized he felt more fulfilled when he later got the opportunity to take up the brush himself.
Gracie Conn, who joined the center as the new art coordinator for the program in August 2020, helped him learn how to paint with his feet, which Daniels said was “definitely frustrating.”
“Sometimes I wanted to quit, or didn’t think it was something for me,” Daniels said. “So I started thinking about different stuff that I could do that maybe didn’t involve art, but … she was very patient with me. It’s something I appreciate because most people probably would have said, ‘Hey, this doesn’t work for you, and you should probably think about doing something else.’”
When she began working with Daniels, Conn said she aimed to instill as much autonomy as possible so he could paint on his own.
“I realized once we began our art instruction that he (hadn’t) really (had) any formal art instruction, so I tried my best to help mitigate that and help figure out ways for him to do things independently,” Conn said. “Because for me, that’s always a really important thing for individuals with disabilities is to have as much independence as they could possibly have.”
Practice makes perfect
Since then, Daniels turned his skills into an online business where he sells his paintings, he said. The very first painting sold went to Dak Prescott, starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys.
“(Prescott) was a very nice guy,” Daniels said. “… I gave him his first painting. It was a Dallas Cowboy star, I believe, and he has it hanging in his house now.”
In an effort to further his skills, Daniels enrolled in MSU in 2021 to pursue a bachelor’s degree in fine arts. While there, he discovered a new artform that he loved just as much as painting – photography.
“Photography and painting are very different,” he said. “It’s still art, but it’s very different. And I get to express different stuff with it. I get to tell different perspectives with myself and people.”
Daniels got a camera mount for his wheelchair, which allows him to adjust the focus and snap photos with his shoulder, he said.
After graduating in May, he was hired as a freelance photographer at MSU to take photos at volleyball, soccer and football games.
“They gave me the opportunity to do some freelance work with them, and I just do a freelance project for them,” Daniels said.
“… I just learned today they want me to continue doing it and for basketball this year,” he added.
While the encouragement of other students and faculty has kept Daniels spirits high during his tenure at MSU, he’s questioned whether he could feasibly and financially pursue a career as an artist.
“Somebody told me that, ‘You should find something more realistic,’” Daniels said. “It settled me for a second, and had me thinking, ‘Is it realistic?’ And I started doubting myself a little bit.”
But the revenue he’s made through his business and freelance photography has shown Daniels that he can make a living off his talents, he said. He plans to pursue additional opportunities to further his career like graduate school, which he hopes to attend in the next year.
“I don’t connect with people a lot. I don’t talk a lot. If you ask anybody, I’m very quiet,” Daniels said. “… I have to find a way to express myself. … When I’m painting, it’s just painting, no stress, no worrying about life issues. So being able to have an outlet for myself and express myself … it’s a blessing.”
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 24 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
