Sleight of Hand Artist:
Sleight of Hand Artist Steven Carlson performing coin magic.
SLEIGHT OF HAND: The use of digital dexterity and cunning to deceive.
The sleight-of-hand artist relies on digital skills to perform his illusions. These techniques are invisible to the audience. The juggler openly displays his hard-earned skills. The sleight-of-hand artist hides them. They are concealed within natural movements and actions.
Beyond the finely acquired skills of his dexterous fingers, the sleight of hand artist also relies upon other subtleties to accomplish his deceptions: Psychology and timing, language, both verbal and physical, help him in deceiving all of the audience’s senses.
Sleight of hand is synonymous with the art of close-up magic. It’s a form of magic performed within close proximity to the audience. The objects used are common everyday items, playing cards, coins, paper currency, and even cell phones. Though anything that fits into the artist’s hands becomes magical. This impromptu style of close-range magic makes deception seem totally impossible, yet amazingly, the totally impossible still occurs.
Coin Magic: The Coin Magician’s Dream
The Coin Magician’s Dream, photo art by Steven Carlson
In the art of close-up-magic, coin magic easily finds its place toward the top of the most challenging skills.
Coins, along with playing cards, are the primary objects in the close-up magician’s repertoire.
Historically coins predate playing cards by a good three to four thousand years.
Coins were first introduced as a method of payment around the 6th or 5th century BC and have been in the magician’s bag of tricks ever since.
In the magician’s hands, coins appear, vanish, and multiply. They magically move from place to place or from hand to hand, visibly and invisibly. Coins change from silver to copper and even grow in size. The possibilities of magic with coins are limitless.
Coin magic relies on the artist’s intricate dexterity. Dexterous skills acquired through years of practice, training, and performance.
A master sleight-of-hand artist’s technique is never seen. To the audience, it is invisible. These graceful methodologies lie gently hidden beneath the surface of natural movements and gestures. Only then does the coin magic appear effortless and impossible.
My name is Steven Paul Carlson. I have been practicing magic since I was 6 years old, and I have been performing it professionally for over 55 years.
So sit back, relax, and enjoy the magical ride.
Oh, and please, fasten your seat belts. 😉
https://www.stevenpaulcarlson.com
Photo & art credits:
Coin and photo art by Steven Paul Carlson, portrait photo by Nick Olson
art & magic 