AMELIA FAIS HARNAS CUEVA
  • Wine Stains
    • Merism
    • Drink a Measure Round
    • Experiments
    • nomakeup
    • Drunk Politics
    • Razzle Dazzle
    • Familiarity Series
    • Dinner Party
    • Kindling
    • Damiani Wine Stains
    • Embroidered Wine Stains
  • Other Work
    • Rite Mendica
    • Histology Series
    • Deeply Held
    • Skateboard Art
    • Shrine Calendar
    • Shrine Series
    • Venus and Mercury
    • Sketchbook
  • Bio
  • Statements
  • Contact

Damiani Wine Stains

2012
The Winemaker, No. 3 | 2012| Damiani Vino Rosso on cotton | 32” x 30” | Sold
Self-portrait as Saint Pompette, No. 2 | 2012 | Damiani Vino Rosso, bronze powder, acrylic on cotton | 29” x 22.5” | NFS
Bamshad, No. 1 | 2012 | Damiani Rougeon on cotton | 21” x 15.5” | Sold
Duke (Bacchus) | 2012 | Damiani Vino Rosso, bronze powder, acrylic, polyester thread on cotton | 45” x 32” | Sold
Bamshad, No. 2 | 2012 | Damiani Vino Rosso, bronze powder, acrylic on cotton | 23.5” x 17” | Sold
To Galveston | 2012 | Atwater Marechal Foch on cotton | 30” x 20”
Jayce, No. 1 | 2012 | Atwater Marechal Foch on cotton | 28" x 20" | Sold
The Consultant | 2012 | Damiani Rougeon on cotton | 28.5” x 20”
I create portraits by staining fabric with red wine using a wax resist (much like batiks) to build a light/dark pattern. I may decide to add embroidery (split stitch, to be precise) or machine sewing to reinforce the design or composition. The end result is a blend of chaos and control. (Rest assured: I drink the wine while I paint with it.)

A portrait artist at heart, I am particularly intrigued by the challenge of trying to control the unpredictable nature of wine bleeding through fabric in order to channel the equally imprecise nature of a person’s character. In addition, the sacred aspect of wine lends itself to religious iconography: one who drinks wine may come to feel a certain level of saintliness sipping on this liquid form of divinity. Consider this is a form of reverent consecration.    
When I started making wine stain portraits, my equipment was rather crude. I was melting dead candle remnants in a coffee can over a propane grill, painting the wax resist with a beat-up bristle brush, and using cotton bed sheets previously employed to protect tomato plants from frost. I have since upgraded my process a bit.

The first stains were made with a bottle of French Cahors, but subsequent stains feature Finger Lakes reds, like Damiani’s Vino Rosso, chosen for color, tannins, and low residual sugar.    

These works are fragile, so they entail a higher level of care than works in more traditional media. They require certain climate conditions, much like a good bottle of wine should be stored in a wine cellar. 
© Amelia Fais Harnas Cueva, 2003 - 2023
  • Wine Stains
    • Merism
    • Drink a Measure Round
    • Experiments
    • nomakeup
    • Drunk Politics
    • Razzle Dazzle
    • Familiarity Series
    • Dinner Party
    • Kindling
    • Damiani Wine Stains
    • Embroidered Wine Stains
  • Other Work
    • Rite Mendica
    • Histology Series
    • Deeply Held
    • Skateboard Art
    • Shrine Calendar
    • Shrine Series
    • Venus and Mercury
    • Sketchbook
  • Bio
  • Statements
  • Contact