Skip to main content

This MS Paint maestro is 97 years old and legally blind

This MS Paint maestro is 97 years old and legally blind

Share this story

hal lasko
hal lasko

In an age of widespread vector illustration and Cintiq tablets you’d be hard pressed to find someone clinging to Microsoft Paint, but for 97-year-old Hal Lasko, it’s the only way to create. The video below was created by Josh Bogdan and Hal’s grandson, Ryan Lasko, and it takes a look at the artist’s life and work — think half Bob Ross, half Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery.

Lasko1_560

A disorder called wet macular degeneration left the former typographer legally blind, but being able to zoom in on small sections has allowed him to continue working long after he thought his painting days were through. "If it takes me two years, I can spend it. I’ve got a lot of patience — that’s what you really need," says Lasko.