In a cozy corner of Berkeley County, there is a local artist who doesn’t let limitations define him. Nick C. Cerrato, 27, is a painter, DJ, tech-savvy entrepreneur and all-around creative spirit who happens to paint with his feet.
“I have cerebral palsy,” he said matter-of-factly. “It’s just a physical disability. It’s forced me to think differently about how I do stuff—like how I paint.”
Cerrato’s journey with art started early. The Vernon, New Jersey, native recalls finger painting at age 3 while strapped into medical equipment called a “stander.” Even then, creativity sparked.
“My mom was scooping paint out with oak tag strips,” he said. “I told her I wanted the strips on the painting. They curled up, and I painted over them so they’d stick. It became a 3D piece.”
By age 12, he had moved on from digital art to painting on real canvases—using his feet.
“I asked my mom if we had any canvases,” he said. “She found two, and when she asked how I planned to paint, I nodded at my feet. She put the canvas down by them, and I’ve been painting ever since.”
His artwork, which can be seen at djwheelsart.com, is expressive, layered and emotional. One of his favorite paintings is a powerful collaboration with his best friend, Tom LaPenter.
“I sketched a city halfway underwater and on fire,” he said. “There’s a sun, a moon, an asteroid and in the front is a crucifix. It’s a slap to humanity—Jesus gave His life for us, and look at what we’re doing. We have to stop the hate.”
Cerrato moved to Moncks Corner from New Jersey in 2022 and quickly became part of the local music scene. He DJs under the name DJ Wheels and got his start thanks to LaPenter and a groundbreaking piece of assistive technology called Tecla.
Tecla is a cloud-connected assistive device that allows individuals with limited mobility to control smartphones, tablets, computers and smart home devices.