God is performed by my daughter’s boyfriend Nick. The role of Adam is played by my daughter Shannon. Both are wearing bracelets with inspirational words on them. I love to paint hands. And this is arguably the most famous hand painting in history. It’s really only a detail of a painting, and the painting is a mural, so this is just a detail. I wonder if Michelangelo, laying on that scaffolding, dirty and covered in pigments in the hottest place in that chapel in Rome, knew he would be remembered for these brush strokes.
The great thing about this iconic and inspirational painting is that it depicts a universal gesture that is wide open to interpretation. In my version, I’ve shown some of the jewelry I like to wear to remind myself to think good thoughts throughout the day. Thoughts influence behaviors and maybe if Adam had been wearing a bracelet that said “Don’t bite!” the original sin story would have gone down differently. We’ll never know.
As the creation story goes, God created man, whose rib was used to create woman, who gave birth to God. It’s a never ending circle and a transfer of powerful energies. As humans, we all have the ability to empower each other. Viewing this piece, I hope that you feel the touch of warm skin to skin. Imagine a spark when those fingers make contact. That energy surge flows in both directions. See that crack in the background? I tried to make it look like a subliminal lightning bolt. It wasn’t what Michelangelo originally intended, I know. But it’s true I believe. Our behaviors can energize the people we interact with and all it takes to get things rolling is a touch.
