Alton artist Tom Yendell has been elected president of the Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists.

After 40 years as a member Tom has reached the top of an organisation which works to help 800 artists around the world who paint with their mouths and feet achieve commercial success.

He was elected at the association’s Delegates Convention, during which elected senior artists voted on behalf of all the members to choose their president and members of the Artists International Management Board.

The association is 70 years old this year and celebrated with an exhibition at Lindley Hall in London to which Tom contributed.

Tom was born without arms and hands due to his mother being prescribed thalidomide during pregnancy.

He grew up using his mouth, feet and chin to do everyday tasks, teaching himself to draw and paint with his feet and later his mouth.

Tom went to Treloar’s before earning a bachelor of arts degree in expressive arts at Brighton University. He joined the association as a student artist in 1986, was elected to the Artists International Management Board in 2013, and last year was made an OBE for his outstanding contribution to young people with disabilities.

He said: “I knew about the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists from a very early age. Little did I know however, in 1989, when I stood watching the then minister for the disabled open an MFPA international exhibition at the Royal Festival Hall, that I would rise up the ladder in the association to become its president.

“Becoming president of the international Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists is the highlight of my 40th year being involved with such an amazing organisation. I am so proud. I get the chance to give something back to our fantastic company, as it provided so much for me both artistically and financially.”