Touch is its own language, a language that is essential to what it means to be human. 

Hands are how we venture out into the world, exploring, communicating, connecting. We touch many things each day, whether physically or metaphorically. I am interested in the story; the emotions, the self expression and the creativity produced by our hands. I find people’s hands endlessly fascinating and they are often the first thing I notice about a person, even before the face. Hands speak of our identity, our emotions and our inner world. I believe we are all suffering from touch deprivation and because touch is my primary love language, I began to wonder how it factors into our stories, creating connection and intimacy all around us… Love, desire, disgust, anger, compassion, empathy, comfort, discomfort, a sense of playfulness, the list goes on. This is how I began this series, putting my own touch and emotions on canvas to capture some of these stories..

About the Artist: 

Tamara Mahoney is a Denver artist working in acrylics, mixed media and fiber who lives and breathes color and texture. She feels an urgency to create, so she paints, draws and knits to channel that relentless energy and process and express her emotions. 

She started painting just over two years ago. Having only painted a tiny bit back in industrial design school, just enough to satisfy the requirements of a color theory class, it was a surprise to her to see what came out when paint touched canvas. It has developed into a very deeply rewarding and expressive medium for her. 

Thematically, much of her work elevates parts of the whole– from everyday objects to parts of the body to individual elements of the natural world. With a background in both industrial and landscape design, she is fascinated with taking the small, seemingly mundane parts of our world and revealing both their beauty, importance and mystery.