By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon
CJ Travel Editor
Typically a souvenir has to be either colorful or sparkly to catch my eye. But these handheld wooden sculptures from Anguilla’s Devonish Art Gallery somehow seduced me with their voluptuous shapes and silky smooth texture. I picked one up and literally couldn’t put it down the entire time I was in the West End store.
Which is exactly what sculptor, artist and gallery owner Courtney Devonish wants.
Devonish began making the talismans, which he calls touch forms, for friends who were giving up smoking and in need of something to occupy their hands.
Ergonomically shaped into hearts and egg-like ovals, the portable sculptures beg to be caressed: ‘They need to be touched and fondled,” says Devonish, who claim that constant touching only enhances their smoothness.
He suggests using them as you would “worry beads” or a rosary, keeping them on your desk, coffee table, or nightstand to reach for whenever you feel tension or worry. My suggestion: Take one with you on your next visit to the DMV, bank or post office. The inevitable wait probably won’t be any shorter, but it will feel a little less painful.
From $25 at devonishart.com