Healing Art ·
Merve Tüfekçi’s Art: Finger Painting and Intention Paintings
Merve Tüfekçi paints without a brush: she puts paint on her fingers and touches the canvas, an approach called Healing Art. For custom paintings, colours and shapes are chosen after a first conversation. The same finger painting is offered to participants in the Healing Art Workshop and in a one-to-one session. The paintings do not promise any health effect.
Hello dear friends. I do not paint with a brush. I put the paint on my fingers and touch the canvas. This post is about my paintings, but first I would like to take you to our Healing Art workshops. 🎨
In our workshops we sit outdoors at round wooden tables, under reed shades. Small pots of paint stand in the middle of the tables, and nobody has a brush. Everyone puts paint on their fingers and starts touching the paper. Soon hands are covered in colour, and there is a lot of laughter around the tables. Playing with colour brings out the child in everyone. At the end, everyone holds up their picture to show the others. No two look alike; they are so colourful and so creative.
Why fingers and not a brush?
When I paint with my fingers, there is no tool between me and the paint; I touch the colour directly. It feels like touching the soil with bare hands. That is why you see the trace of touch, layers of colour and movement in my paintings.
I studied design and business at Parsons, two years in Paris and two years in New York. Today, in front of the canvas, I put the brush aside and work with my hands. Everything I learned is precious, yet touching colour with bare hands is the way that feels closest to me.
How do I choose colours and shapes?
For a custom painting, we talk first. I choose the colours and shapes for your energy. Every painting carries an intention, and that intention usually decides who it goes to. I sit down at the canvas with a quiet heart, with good intention and love.
I do not want to describe this as something measurable. It is my way of working and my language as an artist. For me, art is one way of carrying the intention of healing into everyday life. But I do not claim that a painting will change your health or your life. Which colours make you feel good when you look at them?
My first solo exhibition: Healing Art By Healing Hands
I showed my Healing Art paintings together for the first time in an exhibition that opened on 23 November 2024 at Artopol Gallery in Maslak, Istanbul. More than thirty five of my works were on view. Seeing the paintings side by side and meeting the people who came to look at them was very precious to me.
How can you join the workshop or the session?
In the Healing Art Workshop, the paint goes on your own fingers. You do not need to know how to paint, and your picture goes home with you. While you work, I am right there with you. In a one-to-one Healing with Art session you also paint with your fingers. When it is finished, you say what you see; I do not interpret it. When you are alone with the colours, there is room for whatever rises in you.
We can plan a day like this with you too. The workshop can take place at Şifa Köyü, our organic farm in Şile on the Black Sea coast of Istanbul, or I can come to your school or office. Painting at Şifa Köyü, surrounded by green, is a joy of its own; during the day you can walk around the farm and pet our animals. The produce we grow from heirloom seeds holds EU-approved organic farming certification, and you are welcome to shop from it too. We plan the materials together; sometimes schools or companies provide the paints and canvases themselves. The groups that join are very varied:
- Groups of friends and birthday gatherings
- Students of every level, from primary and middle school to high school and university
- Adult groups and company teams
Where can you see my paintings?
- The Healing Art page on this site shows a selection of finished works.
- New paintings go up first on my Instagram account, @mervetufekcihealingart.
- For a custom painting commission you can write to us; I explain the process in a separate post.
If one of the works speaks to you, write to us and we will let you know whether it is available. Size, delivery and shipping are things we sort out together when we write. If you live outside Turkey, please mention it in your message. For a custom painting, we talk about your intention first, and I choose the colours from there.
I wish that colours speak to you in your own language too. If you share with me which colour feels good to you today, I would be so happy. With love. 💛
See the Healing Art paintings →
Write to us about a painting or a workshop →
Frequently asked questions
How do you make your paintings?
I paint without a brush: I put the paint on my fingers and touch the canvas. I choose the colours and shapes for the person’s energy.
Are the paintings originals or prints?
Custom paintings are original works, painted by hand with my fingers.
Can I commission a custom painting?
Yes. Write to us and our team will get back to you. We talk through the size, the colours and the process together.
Do I need drawing skills for the Healing Art Workshop?
No. There are no brushes; you paint with your fingers. The point is not to make a beautiful picture.
Do the paintings promise any health effect?
No. I put my intention into each painting, but I do not claim that a painting will change your health or your life.
Where can I follow new paintings?
I share new work first on Instagram at @mervetufekcihealingart.
From my events
Moments from our events
Healing Art workshop Touching the canvas with our fingers