Artist Statement

This work of photographing and painting hands examines our relationships with each other, the environment, and ourselves by focusing on one of the crucial differences between us and other species: our hands. Hands appear in this art as symbols of emotional connections to our world. They clasp the hands of others as proof of communication and bonds with other people. Combined in a group they form other objects, such as family trees. Birds rely on the structures of the hands as other species are interconnected with humans. We relate to our environment based on our interpersonal relationships and how we were raised. 

Hands also perform the rituals of everyday. They connect us to our surroundings and are the tools that we use to interact with our world. 

Although the concept remains the same, the media used to create the art varies as the body of work grows. Images begin as raw photographs and then become a painting, a digitally manipulated photograph, a video, and/or an installation. The outcome of each piece depends on the individual message of the work, as well as the space in which it will be shown.