“Fingers Crossed”

20H x 16W

Acrylic on Wood Panel, 2025

$950

Grace Woodall

Artist Statement:

When reading Experiments, what resonated with me was the innocence of childlike creativity and freedom from inhibition. As a child, I spent hours at my parents’ beat-up coffee table with scissors, glue, old magazines, and markers, creating without limits. My father, a cabinet maker until his passing in 2010, surrounded me with the smell and feel of wood, which I brought back by having a wooden frame made for this piece. I began painting with brushes in shades of blue and black but soon dropped them, using only my fingers as I remembered watching my young son's finger-paint with pure joy. That first stroke was difficult, but once I let go, I saw an image emerge that reminded me of a photo from a recent vacation. I worked wet-on-wet, mixing colors with my hands—an uncharacteristically loose process compared to my usual precision-driven style. Finally, in “adult fashion,” I used a tiny brush for finishing details, and with “fingers crossed,” I hope this finger painting brings you joy.

Grace Woodall, a Dallas-based artist, received a BFA in Studio Art/ Photography from Baylor, an MA in Art Education and taught elementary students the joy in art for 4 years before beginning her career in fine art with a distinct, illustrative style. Her work aims to spark conversation, connection, and shared understanding through art.