Shred Painting

I am Stacey High of G.G. High Art and I paint solely with my hands - palms, fingertips, nails and knuckles - anything below the wrist is fair game. I fine-tuned this technique as a workaround many years ago, when I fell in love with oils, but the brush-cleaning left me wanting to pluck my eyeballs out!😳 I started out just using my hands here and there to avoid messing up yet another uber-expensive brush. But one thing led to another and pretty soon I was sorting methodologies to create entire pieces sans brushes. As time went on, I became more and more drawn to the textures I could create with oils, I found ways to capture details (because I’m a detail person!) and I realized that physically touching the painting made me feel way more connected to my subject. So much so, that today, I also make a point to listen only to the music preferences of any real-life subjects as I’m painting them. In my head, I’m imagining those moments in their lives when a certain song might’ve been especially meaningful and if I’m honest, I can get lost in all of that. For me, that sense of connection via touch, via sound, sight, even the seasonal scents that can seep through an open studio window… it all allows for another dimension that I can build into a piece. Anyway, as lame as it sounds…although my technique is rooted in laziness😝, I am thankful for the ways it has allowed me to tap into those deeper pockets and make a painting something familiar and special, all at the same time. I have worked on a community-centered recognition project called THE BEST OF US for many years, and I've been fortunate to attend a few artist residencies. I have also participated in the Durham Arts Council’s 150-year Durham Anniversary Celebration as well as a solo exhibition in Durham, NC at the Golden Belt Campus. I use custom-made oak-trimmed birch panels for all of my work to allow for a smoother work surface and also to encase the image in a fine hardwood that stains beautifully.