The Acoma Pueblo located west of Albuquerque is known for its intricately designed pottery, an art form dating back 1,200 years. On a recent visit to the pueblo, island photographer Kim Farrell fell in love with a certain piece of Acoma pottery but found inspiration in the hands that created it.

Farrell will offer the photograph she took of the potter’s clay-covered hands as her commissioned art piece for Vashon Allied Arts’ upcoming auction, “Vive La France,” slated for Sept. 18 and 19.

Hands have long inspired Farrell. She is drawn to their expressive language that reveals much without words and articulates a visual narrative.

“I have always loved older people’s hands as well as their eyes,” Farrell said. “I was struck by her (the potter’s) hands — the bits of clay on her fingernails and the clay highlighted in the cracks in her fingers.

Farrell, also known on the island as Dr. Farrell for her dedicated work as a physician, laughingly calls herself a paid observer. She believes that is much of what photography is about — observation. But she quickly adds that photography is also about communicating feelings and reactions to what is observed.

Farrell bought her first single lens reflex (SLR) camera in 1988, before spending three months bicycling throughout Europe. Though she’s always been drawn to imagery, loved looking at art and other photography, her simple goal was to have decent photographs. What focused her attention on the art behind the lens was when she saw someone else’s travel photos.

“They were taken a mile away and waist high and didn’t tell us anything,” Farrell recalled, “so I decided to have fun playing.”

During medical school and throughout her residency, Farrell said she dabbled with her art form. Later, when she and her husband took a year off from work and traveled the world, Farrell made a point of trying to shoot her subjects in different ways.

“I loved trying to capture the essence or uniqueness of a place,” Farrell said.

She took over 40 rolls of film, and the effort paid off. After moving to Vashon and seeking more formal instruction, Farrell took one of island photographer Ray Pfortner’s classes. When Pfortner saw some of her previous work, he encouraged Farrell to submit her photographs to contests. She did, and “Nature’s Best,” an international photography magazine, published her images.

Farrell dreams of one day shooting for an organization like National Geographic. Closer to home, her more immediate plans are to do a series about the hands of Vashon.

“Hands — and eyes — are telling,” Farrell said. “They show the work we do. They can be comforting, loving and also even a weapon. They are so rich and show our sense of humanity. They are markers of people’s lives and time. There is real beauty in that.”

The Beachcomber will profile each of the commissioned artists over the next few weeks.