Wednesday, May 12, 2010

The Warrior Mask.

Back in late December I picked up this mask belonging to a Wallingford family. Their sweet son suffered from cancer as a baby and had to wear this mask when he underwent radiation treatment. For the family, the mask is representative of victory that is strongly tinged with sadness and struggle. About a year after his treatment ended, this child's loving mom had the motivation to artistically reassign the mask a look of triumph and strength. 

"Keaton the Warrior" 2010 plastic, acrylic, beads, gold leaf, paper, wire

I was excited about this project from the start, and grateful that the family chose me as their artist. Because it's such a meaningful piece for the family, I wanted it to be AMAZING and only add to it elements that I was very excited about and felt confident would be representative of this family. Trying to sense what would be meaningful in terms of design, color, and symbolism, I was able to create a powerful piece that included some touches that are very personal to me as well(most special being the African beads that were given to me by my lovely great-aunt Irene, who spent her youth in Angola).

The protective mask before artwork

Now in mid-May the family finally has the mask back in their home. We're all thrilled with the transformation.