This Professional Artist Creates Incredible Finger Paintings

Finger painting seems like an activity reserved for small children, but one artist is changing that. Painter Iris Scott has recently been thrust into the internet art sphere after videos of her massive finger paintings went viral. Her work is probably a little different from your toddler’s preschool-era artwork.

According to art website Twisted Sifter, Scott started finger painting in 2009 while living abroad in Taiwan. One hot afternoon, she decided to forego cleaning her brushes, instead continuing with just her fingers. From this moment spawned an incredible new part of her career.

Scott hasn’t used a brush since stumbling upon her new, impressionistic-like technique. “I am lazy when it comes to cleaning brushes, so I don’t miss that,” Scott told Now This in an interview.

Scott has been painting full-time since 2010, and is represented by Cole Gallery, in Seattle as well as Adelman Fine Art in San Diego. “It’s kind of funny telling people that you’re a professional finger painter,” Scott told Now This. “It sounds so absurd.”

Each of her paintings takes anywhere between a few days and a week to complete, and the results are stunning. If you want to snag one, be prepared to shell out: the prices range from $7,000 to $30,000, depending upon how involved the painting is.

“I’m painting faster because I literally have five paint brushes instead of just one,” Scott said. “I’m kind of shocked that finger painting with oils wasn’t already a thing. I believe it will be.”

Today, she’s already sold hundreds of paintings with no signs of slowing down. Her style, which she describes as post-impressionist (her finger paintings echo famous artists like Monet and Van Gogh), is quite striking.

In an interview with the website artpromotivate.com, she says she’ll work in a “very thick, straight-from-the-tube, style. Soft colors collide with other soft colors right in front of me. I don’t mix paint anymore, instead I just buy more shades and colors.”

“Colors lose a bit of their vibrancy when mixed together,” Scott said. “I like to keep the colors as thick and raw as possible for a touchable oil paint texture.”

You can watch a video of Scott at work here: