I first encountered this remarkable artist at the Indein outdoor market on the remote reaches of Inle Lake in Shan State in Myanmar. He sat on a raised platform of bamboo under a long-covered portico just below the mysterious ancient stupas of Indein. His clothing, tools, and surroundings were simple to the point of spartan. There were none of the comforts and luxuries of life that adorned him or his workspace, but his work was magnificent.

I was standing under the portico directing my group where to turn to reach the stupas, when I happened to turn around and notice him the first time. He was working right behind me. I stood and watched. He didn’t even look up.

Now while he is very thin and somewhat wrinkled, it’s difficult to tell how old he actually is, or how long he has been there. He sits on this rough-hewn wooden platform on a small thin mat open to the elements.

As many vendors hound, heckle, and beckon passers-by, he says nothing - unless spoken to - and then only soft-spoken words to sell his art. He puts down his brush only long enough to make the requested sale, then straightaway returns to it. While I watched him work, not a word was spoken between us. But I was sufficiently captured by him that in the ensuing years I’ve invited scores of people to meet him.

His name is Ko Htwe, and he has no arms; his right leg is gone just below the knee, and with his only functioning appendage - his left leg, and two crossed eyes, he creates beautiful works of art by placing a brush between his first two toes and moving it in the most refined strokes. When someone wants to purchase his works, he puts down the brush, wraps the item, and counts out change, all with his left foot.

Now some might say that Ko is a man making do with what little he has, but he has done so much more than that. He has excelled in the refining of his talent; his art is special because he made it. And to watch him is to sense the time, effort, and sacrifice it must have taken to acquire the refined skills that he has.

But what’s the point? Maybe I have only one talent, or five, to give to the Lord and His work. But imagine the Lord’s joy when I do more good by the development of my one talent than the man born with a hundred he never refines.

Ko Htwe [is] - the cross-eyed crippled artist of Indein!