A Dundee student who paints art using her eyes will feature on national television with Grayson Perry on Friday night.
Becky Tyler, 19, has quadriplegic cerebral palsy which was caused by complications when she was born.
She is unable to walk unaided and cannot talk using her mouth.
But the computing student from Sussex uses an advanced eye-tracking technology to create an array of digital artworks.
Her creations stunned the nation when she was selected to feature in the Channel 4 series Grayson’s Art Club earlier this year.
Becky will return to television screens for a special episode on Friday.
Painting with eye technology
Artist, writer and broadcaster Grayson Perry explores different forms of art during the show, and he was especially impressed by Becky’s techniques on a previous episode.
Her work is now on display at Bristol Art Museum and Gallery as part of an exhibition linked to the show.
She will appear on the show once again with a special episode to accompany the exhibition, Grayson’s Art Club: An Exhibition for Britain.
Becky said: “I was submitting my art each week to the Art Club and only got to week two when I got a call from the producer of the show.
“I was very excited.
“The producer organised for me to have a Zoom meeting with Grayson, where I showed him some of my paintings. He loved them.
“There was some amazing feedback and Grayson and the film company said I was the star of the show.
“The second time we met, he had a go with my eye-gaze technology – it was quite funny.
“I painted a portrait of Grayson to show him how I do my eye gaze painting, and this portrait not only features in the exhibition, but has also been used in the marketing and advertising for it.
“I feel very honoured about that.”
‘Not limited by my disability’
Alongside her artwork, Becky is passionate about raising awareness of her disability and helping others in similar situations.
She hopes her computing studies will help her break down barriers and further promote accessible communication.
She added: “I received my first eye-gaze computer when I was seven years old and the technology means that I can now create pictures totally independently, and I am not limited by my disability when creating my art.
“I need help with so many aspects of my life, so being independent is very important to me.
“I feel it is very important for disabled people to have the same opportunities and life experiences wherever possible.
“By studying computing, I hope to learn a lot more so I can make a good contribution to the area of computer accessibility for disabled people.”
These pictures, including this incredible portrait of @Alan_Measles (Grayson Perry) were created by @beckyloutyler using a computer paint program which she controls with just her eye movements. Amazing!! @bristolmuseum #ArtForCare 🖼💗 pic.twitter.com/Ui4rpfiIXd
— Proud to Care Somerset (@ProudCare) December 7, 2021
Becky added: “I have struggled throughout my life to overcome other people’s judgements about me because of my disability.
“I would like disabled people to be treated in exactly the same way as non-disabled people, and presume we are competent.
“I hope my exposure has gone some way to challenge other people’s preconceived ideas about disability.”
The special episode, Grayson’s Art Club: An Exhibition for Britain, will be broadcast on Friday December 10 at 8pm on Channel 4.
Becky is also active on Twitter, where she regularly posts about her journey and artwork.
