Finger painting

“On Saturday the 11th of May, I went to The Capital Gallery in Eltham where I have a selection of my paintings on show, in order to do some LIVE fingerpainting. I’ve not ever painted like this befor, so it was a whole new experience and rather strange. I do paint in front of my children and Husband but they’re usually not standing and watching what I’m doing! I went in thinking I’ll probably only get the sky done on my beachscape but I got so engrossed and enjoyed all the visitors and atmosphere that I finished the main scene.”

“I remember loving the feel of the paint on my hands, so slick and cool….Why it’s taken me so long to return to one of the most basic forms of painting I’m not sure…do we think that finger painting is childish? That as we grow we have outgrown it? [...] Something about the paint getting under my nails and squishing through my fingers makes me feel so connected to my paintings. It’s as if the emotions, feelings and thoughts of your inner self just pour out of your fingertips.”

“A few times I’ve tried making homemade finger paint. The recipes I tried were inexpensive and offered a nice sensory experience, but proved not ideal for discovering how color works. The color was faint, texture chunky if cooked too much, separated in the refrigerator, and stained skin. I was not impressed. Then, one day, I saw pictures by my daughter and her classmates in the toddler room at daycare. The colors were vivid with areas of lovely translucence and areas with intense, saturated color. There were areas where colors mixed, and areas where they weren’t. Surprise, surprise! They were made with finger paint!”