I am in the middle of a series celebrating my own fidgety hands—and the hands of all of us who make things with our hands, talk with our hands, worry with our hands.
There is a little drawing of me as a young child that a friend of my grandmother’s did. I didn’t know her, she just wanted to practice drawing. I had to stay perfectly still for an eternity in a little wool suit. It was probably 20 minutes. I remember the artist becoming red-faced and frustrated because I wasn’t staying still enough. Especially my hands. I thought she was angry at me which made me more anxious and fidgety. She finally gave up, exasperated.
Perversely, I still have the drawing. As an artist now I look back on it and find the hands the most interesting part.
So that’s part of the inspiration behind this series. The other thing that moved me in this direction was running into a small show of Naoko Matsubara’s wonderful prints of hands at the Art Gallery of Ontario a few months ago. Brilliant!
Below is the price list from The Second Wedge where my work will be showing until February 7.
Please note: #4 and #7 and #10 are now sold.
This will be showing at The Second Wedge, Uxbridge Ontario from December 10 to February 7 with the OPENING on Saturday December 13, 1-4.
The Hands are the stars of the show. Below are good pictures and approximate sizes of the hand series so far.
My friend and I were talking about the small epiphanies of childhood–instances when we sensed an invitation from God: the comfort and mystery of a statue of Virgin and Child on a well-frequented path; wind animating the tops of trees; a song about the magi breaking into a child’s sad night. As I do these small dense painted carvings, I realize they represent hints of hope; modest epiphanies. They allude to those moments that happen in the blink of an eye, brief and easily missed but if you manage to pay attention, life-changing.
Lynne.Mcilvride.Art 