Masked Identity

"To be able to strip away this royal persona, and allow my subjects to see my true face would be the fall of the royal empire"

Materials List:

• Wire
• Burlap
• Tracing Paper
• Gel Medium
• Hot Glue
• Bicycle Tire Inner-tube 
• Fabric
• Painters Tape
• White Gesso
• Wooden Dowel

Artist Statement:
     A mask is somewhat of a practice to hide behind a face other than our own, and conceal our identity from onlookers. I wished to take somewhat of a different approach. A lot of my work focuses on stripping away the boundaries set, and exposing the more exposed, natural state. I have always felt that I needed to hide behind this picture perfect persona, alluding to everyone else that I am strong, confident, and put together. Recently, I have proceeded to take steps forward to allowing my true self to be reveled, and I wished to convey that in this.
     I wished to keep it simple, and clean. I aid in this with the bright white pieces of the secondary mask, as well as the fabric, to represent an element of purity. The burlap represents this element of rawness, allowing a sense of vulnerability, then emphasized by the exposed arm, and large crack in the background. The owl holds a special meaning to me for its representation of wisdom. I have always strived to be well educated, and hope to someday be as wise as those who have helped me on my journey to the present, and beyond. In the composition, it stands for the centering or a grounding element of the figure. The secondary mask held in front of the formal mask is to act as a barrier between the figure and the outside world. The wold is harsh and judgmental, and to leave the comfort of our homes, or our safe places is placing us in a place of vulnerability, and the mask is there to aid in the defense against onlookers.
   

Behind the Crown
(11"x12"x11")

In Process-

Inspiration-

Steve McQueen-

 Craig Green-

Key Russel-