Always Smiling, Always Hidden
2006 - Mixed Media / Objet d'Art - 9" x 11.5" (including frame)
This painting and those following are later stage extensions of this painting series.
As my wounds began to heal over, I found myself putting on a cheery face but not feeling like it was mine. The emotional rollercoaster I had been on for the past few years left me feeling psychologically exhausted. I found myself confused as to who "I" really was. Was I only a "survivor", formed from the mold of what had been done to me? Or was I someone else - someone who I could now form into something of my own making? More likely, I was something in between.
That's why in this artwork, I used a ceramic mask - an object made by someone else - to create an artwork of my own intent. Beneath the mask is a blurred, grainy photo of my face, which can't be seen except upon close inspection and with adequate light.
That's how I was feeling - the real "me" was fuzzy and lurking somewhere in the darkness behind the face I put on for the rest of the world to see.
Close up shot to show the face hidden:
