Francisco Estrada was born in Los Angeles. When he was teenager, he was caught in the cross fire of a drive by shooting, which left him quadriplegic. He was moved to Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center where he was encouraged to try mouth painting as a form of therapy. At first he was skeptical, although he had enjoyed art prior to his injury, he couldn’t see how mouth painting would work. It wasn’t until one his social workers told him about the many mouth painters who had started through the Rancho art therapy program that he began painting in earnest. Francisco began with paint by numbers, before realizing that he wanted to create his own artwork, the kind of subjects and styles he would like to see hanging in his own home. At one of the exhibitions at Rancho, he met Ann Ruth, Esvin Rodriguez and Robert Thome who encouraged him to apply to the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists. Francisco was accepted as a Student Member in 2023. .

Pictured above: “Leopard” by Estrada.