A wax hand delicately rests in quiet repose... but this hand holds a secret.

Cast in a deep honey tones, unfiltered goldenrod beeswax, hand carved, polished, and blushed in oil paint. Layers of wax-dipped lace adorn the wrist, creating a Victorian cuff dotted with tiny pearl accents. Turn over the life-like wax hand to reveal a secret eye in the palm! Painted in oils, the life sized wax hand is 10 inches in length.

Imagery of an open right hand with an eye is used as a sign of protection throughout history and across cultures. The hamsa has been traditionally believed to offer divine protection, and also represents blessings, power and strength, and is seen as potent in deflecting the evil eye.

Heather O’Shaughnessy is an American artist currently residing in Saint Louis Missouri. She works across disciplines as a wax sculptor, illustrator and ceramic artist. She works primarily in wax, porcelain, and gypsum and actively participates in exhibitions throughout the United States and Europe. Inspired by the lost art of wax portraiture in miniature, she developed her process with wax through trial and error, as few references to the details of technique have survived. This endeavor involves sculpting, mold making, casting, carving and painting. Her wax pieces often include wax dipped laces, gold leaf and rich velvets encased under convex glass, a nod to sacred reliquary. Her work is an exploration of a mystical world that exists just beyond the veil. “I am endlessly intrigued by themes of the miraculous depicted in devotional paintings. Spiritual visitations, otherworldly communications through energy beams and misty apparitions - interpreting the metaphysical, supernatural and imponderable through sculpture, giving them a physical form in wax is my greatest delight.”

Heather teaches wax and porcelain focused workshops and releases collections of miniature sculptures in limited edition.