Legacy of an outback artist who created masterpieces with his teeth

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains the name and image of a person who has died, used with the permission of their family.

An unfinished drawing of a turtle shell sits in a quiet south-west Queensland studio surrounded by pens and pencils bearing distinct teeth marks.

It is the final, unfinished piece by Gunggari artist Bill Dodd, who spent decades creating art without holding a pen in his hands.

Instead, his detailed images of horses, birds, and country were brought to life by a pen held tightly between his teeth.

Born and raised in the small town of Mitchell, about seven hours west of Brisbane, Mr Dodd spent decades teaching himself to draw while paralysed from the chest down.

"He taught us the everyday struggles, you just deal with them, because he's been tetraplegic [also known as quadriplegic] for so long," his wife Tracy Dodd said.

Just three days before his 18th birthday Mr Dodd was swimming in a local river.

Diving headfirst into the water he hit the riverbank, breaking his neck and damaging his spinal cord.

The active young footy player was suddenly living a life in a wheelchair.

"He thought his life was over," Ms Dodd said.

"Before the accident, he was a big sportsperson, on his horse all the time. He loved boxing, football and he was fit."

Mr Dodd would eventually find an outlet in writing and drawing.

"Someone asked him one day to write down his thoughts and put pen to paper," Ms Dodd said.

"Once he started he never stopped, and it turns out he's very talented."

'I loved him for him'

Ms Dodd met Bill years after his accident.

She said he quietly carried a heavy emotional weight.

"It was sad to think that this man had lived for so long thinking he was hard work," she said.

"You don't go without because you think that you're a burden.

"I wanted him to live a life outside of the hospital. I wanted him to see that someone loved him for him and who he is."

Even after being diagnosed with advanced bladder cancer in 2024, Mr Dodd never complained.

Today, Ms Dodd still finds chewed-up pens through the house.

"He was one of a kind. For someone who couldn't move he had such a big presence," she said.

"Our life was so much different to everyone else's, but it worked. It worked for us.

"He deserved everything we could give him."

A lasting legacy

Now, Mr Dodd's lifelong craft is being shared with the world.

The First Nations art collective he belonged to, Yimbaya Maranoa, has dedicated their new Terra-Rara Rare Earth exhibition to his memory at the Roma on Bungil Gallery.

For fellow member and Gunggari artist Vernessa Fien, who knew Mr Dodd her entire life, curating the exhibition was bittersweet.

"It's hard not to get emotional about it. He's achieved so much," Ms Fien said.

"He's written a book, poetry, he's done writing and artworks, and he was a very good sportsperson and cattleman.

"I think he'd be very humble in his thoughts in that we were doing something for him."

Walking down the hallway, looking at the decades of work hanging on the walls, Ms Dodd felt a wave of emotion.

"Bill's family, my children, and myself just want to get his work out there and show people what can be done," she said.

"This man had a big disability but he didn't let that stop him.

"Once he set his mind to something he would get it done."

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