Mainly in my painting, I strive to capture the energy and feelings in a moment in time. I frequently use the human hand as a metaphor for the individual and their experience in a particular moment. Human hands (mainly our opposable thumbs) classify us as human beings and, therefore, make a perfect visual for the human experience.

Over time, I noticed the differences in people’s hands and came to the conclusion that hands are like fingerprints; everyone is different. Hands, unlike fingerprints, are altered by our lifestyle. For instance, after years of pushing keys, a piano player’s knuckles are usually larger than most, and their fingers are larger as well. An ice hockey player’s hand usually has at least one knuckle that doesn’t work right from an injury on the ice and blistered palms from holding the stick. A wealthy woman’s hand is usually professionally manicured while a person who paints for a living rarely goes without paint stuck in their nail beds.  The way people carry their hands is a telling part of their mood and personality as well. An emotional person will use theirs to convey their feelings to talk while a nervous person will twiddle their thumbs. I believe by painting hands I am able to depict a deeper sense of who someone is, possibly even more that a traditional portrait would.