Concluding my fascination with different artists' tool of the trade, I bring you Kiki Smith's hands. "Hands?" you ask incredulously. Yes, I know that all (ok, most) visual artists use their hands to create, but Kiki's are something altogether enchanting and mesmerizing. I got the chance to see them up close recently when she sat across from me on the subway. (Gah! It was all I could do to stop myself from shouting at her, "You are the reason I art today!!") I've searched the internet high and low for a close up of her hands at work, but have yet to find something truly illustrative of their abilities. And beauty—they are marked with a delicate constellation of turquoise tattoos that only adds to their allure. Her hands contain a certain character, unparalleled skill, and a yearning to create.
"Her hands constantly fiddle: she’s always drawing or making things out of clay or whatever. Partly, it’s a way to distract her gaze. Mostly, for her, making art is like breathing."
[Images courtesy of kikismithsquattingthepalace.com, huffingtonpost.com, quote from a great feature titled The Intuitionist by Michael Kimmelman on nytimes.com]
- Cathleen
