If you were to hand an artist a glass of wine, chances are he or she would drink it. But for Amelia Fais Harnas, wine—specifically red—is paint, one that can be translated into gorgeous, intricate works of portraiture on a simple cotton canvas. The fabric is stained with the godly nectar, and as is done in batik work, the saturation and spread of the liquid is controlled using wax, though the artist admits that she finds a great challenge in “trying to control the unpredictable nature of wine bleeding through fabric in order to channel the equally imprecise nature of a person’s character.” Judging on the precision and emotion in the faces of her painted subjects, this is a challenge she easily overcame.
[quote] [T]he sacred aspect of wine lends itself to religious iconography, reminding many of the Shroud of Turin: one who drinks wine may come to feel a certain level of saintliness sipping on this liquid form of divinity. So, this is a form of consecration.” [/quote]
