"Handyman"

The final hands, the praying hands, the most difficult hands to make,

have been completed.

This has been a special week. I finished the last of the 9 hands needed to complete my present project. (I can hear you cheering...)

One of my artist friends walking by commented, “If your not careful Cliff, your going to become known as the “handyman” around here.” Chuckle chuckle.

As I’ve been moving through the creation of the hands I’ve been thinking about the many symbolic meanings hands actually seem to have. We have a lot of sayings like...

“All hands on deck.” meaning a group is to do something...

“The almighty hand of God” scary or fantastic depending...

“You’ve got to hand it to him” a compliment...

“She talks with her hands”...very expressive...maybe no talking is necessary!

“Hand-me-downs”

“Don’t bite the hand that feeds you”

“A left handed compliment”

“Tight fisted”

On and on we could go. I'm sure you are thinking of some...

Beyond that there are gestures. Some already alluded to in the list above. If you live with a closed fist it means something. If you live open handed it means something else.

The right hand and the left hand mean different things. Like the left hand is always something less. While the right hand symbolises power, rights, position like sitting at someone’s “right hand”. I read of a king who lost his right hand and the nation dethroned him. When his daughter made a silver hand for him to wear in the place of the missing hand, he was re-instated to his role as king.

I love the sensitive aspects of the hand and what the gestures represent, like a hand of friendship placed on someone’s shoulder. The Bible is full of references to the meanings of hands. Like the “laying on of hands” which means love, and the passing on of something from the leader, mentor, or from one person to another, such as a gifting, or a healing of the body. The 10 commandments were written by the “finger of God”. Esau’s hand was hairy and Jacobs was smooth is loaded with meaning. Jesus writing in the sand with his finger, causing the accusers to leave in silence. Pilot washing his hands before the crowd a symbol of not taking any responsibility in a decision he was forced to make by the crowd.

I love the symbol of the praying hands I just completed as you see above. Here we use both of our hands, united in purpose. Balanced in our approach to the creator giving him permission and freedom to move and act in the world around us, in the lives of people around us and in our own lives.

There is an ocean of meaning out there in the world of our hands. I am beginning to think I like being a “handyman”.

“You will make known to me the path of life;
Fullness of Happiness is in Your presence;
Pleasures are in Your right hand forever.”

 (Psalm 16:11)



A Creative Vacation...

So I went to the studio...

On Saturday, the day before we were planning to leave for our vacation trip I dropped into my studio for the difficult task of seeing that all would be ok for my being away for two weeks.

I gently un-wrapped the hands sculpture to check the repair on the cracks that had showed up and I had repaired earlier. It looked good. They were gone. Now I needed to repair the under-glaze that was disturbed in doing that repair. Plus, I needed to put another coat of Ivory over the cuffs and paint in the dark tones on the cuffs and the lower arms. This I did slowly and with the knowledge this would be the final coating before the bisk firing. I ended with going over the whole thing and doing the final touch-ups of all colors. (black, Ivory, and yellow)

I have come to a decision on a working title for this hands piece. I’m thinking...“6.5 Weeks”. This refers to the time that it took to find Candace and therefore the amount of time her body lay frozen in the shed. The more I think about it I like it.

Now, what will I be doing on my vacation? Will I do anything regarding my art? After all, I have to plan art pieces for the art show that my Daughter Odia and I are doing in January of 2012. We are planning to major on pieces inspired by the loss of Candace and the trial which took place this February and is still not quite over. We now have the appeal to go through yet. I will be taking, my sketchbook and my camera along and begin planning and sketching ideas for art projects for the art show. Both sculptures and charcoal drawings. I actually have ideas but I need to prioritise for the show. Only 7 months to go, which is not that long! I already have some ideas using the “hand theme” like this one I’ve been working on now. “Ouch” is all I can say.

Yes, it is a vacation, yes we are going to a nephews wedding in Victoria BC and yes, it is important to take time to contemplate and plan what emotions and feelings I must share.

“For he is like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in its season...”

Psalm 1

A Tight Rope

So I went to my studio on Clifton....

Spent a few hours working on the rope. I am quite happy with the results. I used a wood tool to make the twisted groves in rope and then for the "twist in the twist," I used a comb's teeth to lightly brush along the rope. Makes it look like an old hemp kind of rope. Reminds me of binder twine which we used every where back on the farm when I was a kid.


It is also important in this case to indicate the tightness of the rope. This can be done in several ways...make the rope look like it's stretching, the straight lines of the rope itself, bunching up the skin, the swelling of the skin and showing how it is pressed into the skin or the wrist. All of it screams of pain.


Not only do I know that Candace is alive today but that God numbed her feelings just for this, the biggest test of her life....

"Consider now: Who, being innocent, has ever perished? Where were the upright ever destroyed."
Job 4:7

Lifeless

So I went to my studio on Clifton....

There is more to this sculpture than just the hands. It is not eassy to get into! So why am I doing it? I don’t really know and am too afraid to go there right now.


I will simply make it and put all the horror into it that I can. Make it cold. Make it calculating. Make it ugly. Make it painful. This will be at least one statement that I can make.


I have for the first time been counting the hours. So far it has been 5.5 hrs. of work. There is still much to be done. My plan is to give it an under-glaze coat of off white of some kind while it is leather hard then a light wash of a light brown. I plan to finish it with a pure white glistening glaze on the up side of everything to simulate frost.


My plan is to make a stand of about one foot high for it. It will have strands of DNA etchings on the sides coming up over the top edge an inch or two. They will also be off white with a light brown wash to bring out the DNA etchings on the sides.

The hands are my own hands. It is the only way I can do it at this time!

"But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands..." 
Gen. 31:42