The Hand of God

At its core, Thèria embraces biocentrism, a perspective that acknowledges the intrinsic value of all living beings and not just humans. It recognizes the interconnectedness of all life forms and challenges human-centered thinking, urging us to consider the well-being of every species, plant, and ecosystem. Through this lens, Thèria promotes the idea that humans, while important, are just one part of the intricate web of life on Earth, and we have a responsibility to protect and preserve it all.

Here’s the emotion, the boldness, and the philosophy behind The Hand of God print: A sacred spark. A cosmic touch. The Hand of God reimagines Michelangelo’s iconic fresco, “The Creation of Adam,” not just as a moment of divine ignition, but as a question, perhaps even a challenge.

Painted under duress and defiance, Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel masterpiece was born from tension: between genius and obedience, artist and Pope, flesh and spirit. But what if that story of creation was bigger than we’ve ever imagined? This print asks: What if the story began differently? What if God's hand were not that of a man, but an animal brimming with wild intelligence, soul, and ancient grace? What if Adam's was not a man’s hand, but a woman’s, the womb-bearing, life-giving, never once carved into the center of the narrative? For too long, we’ve been taught that animals do not think, feel, or create. That women were born of ribs, not the creators of life themselves. But look again. We don’t see gravity, but it keeps us grounded. We don’t see sound, yet we hear its song. We don’t see love, yet it carves our lives. Just because we don’t see a soul, it doesn’t mean it isn’t there.

Inspired not only by the brilliance of Michelangelo, but by Jane Goodall, the trailblazer, truth-seeker, and lifelong witness to the emotional depth of chimpanzees. this print honors the interconnectedness of all beings. Goodall taught us that tool-making, emotion, and even empathy is not uniquely human. She gave voice to the voiceless and shifted how we understand consciousness itself.

The Hand of God is a tribute: To women who carry universes in their bodies. To animals who speak languages, we’ve forgotten to hear. To creators who defy expectations. To mothers who labor so others may live.

This piece was born from a quiet rebellion of my own. A moment in the Sistine Chapel with my mother, husband, son, and best friend and artist of the print Brittany Brunken were in the Sistine Chapel together. I snapped a forbidden photo of the ceiling, despite Vatican resistance as an offering of what we could create together. From that small act of defiance came a vision: of what Michelangelo might have painted if he were born not in 1475, but today.

With us, Brittany reimagined it into being with reverence and fire. My mother, whose patience could rival saints, has been said to have Jane Goodall energy. My husband and I teach our son to write his own story and to carve his own path, we honor the Sistine ceiling above us as it is part of our story too, and how we arrived here to imagine this: What if the divine was never separate from us at all?

With love and gratitude,

The OG Thèria Family