Local Art #1 - Just a Hand

Art makes my world a better place. I buy and collect local art. I will share some of that with you from time to time. Hopefully it brightens your world a bit - and maybe leads you to buy something from one of my favorite local artists.

First up is a piece you may have seen if you follow me on Facebook - I tend to repost it about once a year. It’s one of my favorite paintings.

In 2014 when he painted this, Theopolis Smith (or Phresh Laundry) was not new to creating art, but was just starting to become well known in the local art scene in Fort Wayne, IN. Today Theo / Phresh Laundry is widely known, and he exhibits and sells internationally. See for yourself at @thatlaundry on Instagram and buy some of your own at his website.

Here’s why I love this piece …

It’s a hand. Just a hand. A little painting, maybe 3” by 5”.

But the hand is reaching. Reaching for something. Reaching for someone.

And it lives in a stained world. The hand is obscured.

For me, it shows humanity at its finest, reaching out through a stained world.

It never stops reaching. And, no matter when I see it, it always looks alive.

disclaimer - interpretations of the artist’s work are mine and mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the artist’s intended purpose - Steve