Brom Wikstrom was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. His father, a commercial artist, passed along his artistic interest to Brom, who began painting as a child. Brom continued to study the craft, illustrating his high school yearbook and eventually enrolling in art classes at Seattle Central Community College. During the summer of 1975, at the age of 21, a diving accident left Brom a quadriplegic. He spent seven weeks in intensive care in a public health hospital, and the following year in Seattle at the University of Washington hospital.

During rehabilitation, he learned to use a mouth stick to turn pages when reading. Toward the end of rehabilitation, he started mouth painting, which began to stir up the old, familiar memories associated with painting prior to his accident. After redeveloping his passion and talent for painting, Brom set up an art studio in his home where he began experimenting with geometric designs.

In 1994, Brom became a full member artist of MFPA. His work has been shown around the globe, including the United Kingdom Belgium, British Columbia, Austria and Australia. In 2004, Brom’s work will be featured at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., for the second time. He recently won first place for a watercolor at the Sister Kenny International Art Show.

Brom is actively involved in teaching in elementary and high schools as a visiting guest artist, but explains, “My first and foremost passion is working with MFPA, an organization that encourages continual development and growth in the world of art.”

Pictured above: “Woodland Creek” by Wikstrom.