Seven Black and White Cats

Per Wikipedia: American educator Ruth Faison Shaw is credited with introducing finger painting as an art education medium. She developed her... more

by Sarah Loft

Title

Seven Black and White Cats

Artist

Sarah Loft

Medium

Painting - Acrylics, Finger Painting

Description

Per Wikipedia: American educator Ruth Faison Shaw is credited with introducing finger painting as an art education medium. She developed her techniques in Rome, Italy, before patenting a safe non-toxic paint in 1931. After developing her expressive medium for children, Shaw devoted her attention to the therapeutic benefits of finger-painting. At the request of Carl Menninger, she taught at the Southard School at the Menninger Foundation in Topeka, Kansas, United States. Later she served as a consultant to the Department of Psychiatry at Memorial Hospital at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Although the name implies that the paint is applied with the fingers, expert use of this medium makes use of the hands and lower arms too. Use of the entire arm smooths the paint on the paper prior to more detailed modeling with the fingers and other parts of the hand. Sometimes sponges, cloth, and other tools are used to obtain a specific texture.

Some artists are known to solely paint with their hands, as a way to become more intimate with the process. These artists do not use traditional finger paint. This style, "Reckless Art," is most accurately categorized as a subgenre of outsider art. Painters like Tyler Ramsey have vowed never to touch a brush, but the use of surgical gloves for safety is common when using toxic oils. Tyler Ramsey claims that, "Rejecting brushes gives a painter the opportunity to approach the craft from a fresh perspective." "Reckless Art" started in 2002 as a way to refute the idea that "Everything has been done already."

Finger painting artist Nick Benjamin claims he "prefers to paint using fingers as the technique results in a real bond between the artwork and artist and allows for some intricate blending not achievable with brushes".

Note: The watermark will not appear on the print you purchase.

Featured in the For Children group, January 2014.

Featured in the 500 Views group, February 2016.

Featured in the Arts Fantastic World group, December 2017.

Featured in the FAA Portraits - Cats and Dogs group, December 2017.

Uploaded

January 3rd, 2014