Hand Art

As henna artists, we often use mehndi (henna paste) to decorate people's hands.  The hands are usually visible during the day, in the midst of celebrations, and to an individual, seeking self beautification from the ancient art form. The ancient art of henna is one that goes back hundreds of years.

As henna artists, we strive to tell our clients to make sure they do not wash their hands with water and take proper care of the henna application in order to make sure their henna design gives a deep stain that will last many days.  While henna on the hands is beautiful, as it is on the rest of the body, there is another kind of art that is done on the hands.

An artist, born in Italy in 1950, has shown the world how to truly explore and experiment with body and hand painting.  Guido Daniele lives and works in Milan and has been doing unique artwork for over 40 years.  In 1990, he began to explore body painting, and had his models contort their body into specific positions.  He would then use his painting skills to create incredibly realistic portraits and scenes onto a living canvas--the body.  Using the body as canvas, as henna artists do, allowed Guido to take his art in a new direction.  In 2000, he created his world renowned "Handimals" series. This series featured highly detailed and realistic animals onto the hands in various positions.  Through artistic endeavours, creativity, and manipulation, Guido is able to transform his "canvas"--the body--into amazingly, realistic animals.

You can see the extensive 77 picture collection on Guido Daniele's official website.  Here are few to be mesmerized with for now!