through the grapevine

“Believe half of what you see, and none of what you hear.”

Slow hands, one over the other.

The tools of an artist are not their brush or canvas, but their hands. Usually rough, stained with their preferred medium and a slight tremble from caffeine if the time of day is right. Art comes from the mind and heart, but to execute those feelings and connect with the world, hands are an essential line of communication that is unique to every painter, photographer and performance artist out there.

My hands have always been broken, for lack of a better phrase, but I try for the sake of art. My ex broke my dominant hand years ago, leaving me with carpal tunnel pain that comes and goes; not the worst he has left me with and I am always thankful to be alive. I still made Dean’s List during my first semester of college, my right hand in a cast and painfully writing out algebraic equations. Today, I recount daily feelings in my journal, paint canvasses with my son and my finger tips will bleed and callous with 15 minutes of daily practice. My hands, although talented, still suffer from frequent, what I call, “dropsies”: grip suddenly lost in my hand leads to dropped object. I’ve gotten really good at juggling out of no where, if you could believe me.

Wreath working is a slow process even if you have experience: the vines require a sweet spot for dry curly tendrils yet malleable for twisting and forming. I have a tendency to move slow in any way I can: smell the roses, feel the stream, lay in the sun, and my artistry is no different. As a busy mom, life can move fast if you’re caught off guard and practicing stillness is my preferred balancing method.

Taken from a client’s yard and given new life, these grapevine are invasive in Virginia but fulfill many purposes in those looking to use their hands.

I’m still working out how to get a good focus on a self timer without a remote.

I have been strictly posting to META platforms for so long that I forgot how much better uploaded image quality is everywhere else on the internet. Even without a good focus, these photos are SO killer., and so me.

Thanks for checking out my work flow, consider donating funds so I can continue making art xo

process…

and…

…determination.

Focused face and allergy ridden hands

A witch admiring her work.

Two of way too many wreaths I’ve made the last couple of days.