Of Hands and Work

Shazam do I have lots of thoughts around “of hands and work” today! Before I share, I invite new readers to check out this link. In said link, you can learn about the purpose of this post and blog.

Why Of Hands and Work

So, for the last week or so I have been preparing my paintings to be framed. In one way, you could call this a week of mindless, manual labor. And, if I were naturally inclined to be good at manual labor, I might be able to do it mindlessly. But, if I don’t pay attention to everything I am doing while preparing my paintings for framing, things can go very very badly.

Give me an example you say? OK, here’s an example. I attach a hand cut piece of brown kraft paper, called a dust cover, on the back every framed painting. To apply the kraft paper, I attach double-sided tape along the edge of the back of the frame. At one point, my mind drifted, and I placed the kraft paper to fit along the edge of the entire frame on the back.

Except that…I sealed the hardware and hanging wire I needed to put on the back of the painting inside the kraft paper sealed back of the painting. Gahhhhh!

Mindful Do Over

So I removed the Kraft paper at one corner and grabbed the hardware. But for the rest of the 25 -30 paintings I had left, I put the hardware in the same spot next to the framed painting. You know, kind of like putting your car keys (or KN95 masks) in the same spot so you know where they are?

During this early phase of framing, I can’t play music. In fact, I can’t have any other distractions going on. It’s all brain cells on deck! But, when I realize this and I start doing a repetitive task something wonderful happens.

Hello Zone

I find myself getting into a mindfulness zone not unlike the flow that can happen when painting. And, this is when I start to think about the importance of human beings working with our hands. But before I share more thinking and resources on that, I’ll share a picture hanging tip for you.

The Improved Clinch Knot

Here’s a photograph of my hand tying an improved clinch knot. It’s not something I just knew how to do by the way. I had to do a little bit of research on…where else…the Internet. So, you see on the one hand (Ha!), I understand the value and merit of sitting at a desk and working away on a computer. Because I learned about this easy way to attach wire to the back of my paintings as a result. Thank you Chris Breier!

But I feel such satisfaction when I finish a hands on project like this framing palooza week. And, I never felt this type of satisfaction pressing the “save” button on a Word Document or an Excel Spreadsheet.

We’re All Different

Thankfully, we’re all different. So, just because I never found much satisfaction in my desk job, doesn’t mean you won’t. But, even if you are acing day job world, I still think each of us humans can experience some new and enjoyable moments working with our hands.

For me, it all started when I went to a pottery class in my early 30s. I felt my hands buzz, blissfully, at the nighttime class I took for fun. Then, I started reading pottery and ceramic related books and articles. Such as, Paulus Beherensohn’s “Finding One’s Way with Clay.” His mantra, as an accomplished dancer who became a potter, was to “remember the hand.” He asks each of us to find a way to use our hands without using technology. The experience of making something with our hands, even once a week, can absorb and delight.

Irony

What’s ironic about all of my carrying on about working with hands is I would be bored out of my mind if I had to do manual work everyday all day. So, I am a lucky duck that I get to do this kind of work long enough to feel some satisfaction and then move on!

And, please know that as I stared at the remaining seventeen frames that still needed hardware, I grimaced. But! I had a silly reward in store.

This is so silly but I absolutely love putting the little “Julie Holmes Studio” stickers on the back of the paintings. Why? Putting those stickers on means everything else is done. Yahoo!

Nothing like a reward to help get something tedious done, eh?

Here’s to Hands and Work

Before I sign off I want to share one more photo of the hands of a handsome fella: my dad.

And, here’s more irony: he went out of his way, according to family lore, to avoid handiwork. That’s right, he avoided repairs and any kind of power tools except the lawn mower and the snow blower. Maybe he wasn’t good at repairs as he claimed? But I look at his hands in this photo and think they were wonderful, untapped tools. And, yes, I love that my hands are showing as a reflection in his photo. Ah well! The beat goes on, right?

This Week’s Painting

Here’s a larger image of this week’s painting. It will be on view starting Monday, May 16th at Stokes County Arts Council in Danbury, North Carolina.

And, there’s an opening on Friday, May 27th from 5:30 to 7:00 pm. The show will remain up for six weeks, through Friday, June 30th. So, if you’re heading west from Raleigh, Durham or Chapel Hill this May or June, stop by!

Your Hands

What about your hands, gentle reader? Have you noticed a task that you do with your hands that brings you unexpected joy or satisfaction? If so, please share in the comments below and thank you for reading here today.