Friday, November 27, 2009

Divine Mother Gets Some Work Done

It is surreal to have my mural here in California... and to see it 2.5 years later, after it has been battered by the elements in Eureka Springs, AR. I painted it with outdoor latex house paint so that it would hold up to rain, snow, UV rays, etc... but nature always wins eventually, and it is time for The Divine Mother to get some well-deserved TLC after all She has been through!
While the mural is in good condition, the vibrancy of the colors have faded, and the ancient Egyptian icons I had drawn in with Sharpies had mostly washed away, leaving only their painted silhouettes behind.


I am in the process of restoring the mural to its original vibrancy, and both the owner of the painting and I have big plans for another public showing. I don't want to simply display the mural somewhere, however; I created this mural to be displayed in the context of a themed show about icons involving many other artists. Therefore, I am dreaming of collaborating with other artists to create a new exhibit...

...as for what the theme would be, body image is something that has been on my mind a lot lately. It is outrageous how incredibly prejudiced modern society is against obesity, with the media constantly remarking on how dangerous, unhealthy, ugly, and socially unacceptable it is too be fat-- while ignoring the dangers of being too thin. Beauty lies in the kaleidoscope of forms, shapes, and colors that we come in, but our society accepts only one shape.

Years ago I had a professional photo shoot done for promotional purposes. I was very thin in those photos-- which is unnatural for my body type-- because I was not eating enough or getting the nutrition I needed, and I was very unhealthy because of it. I was too weak for my immune system to fight anything off, and was frequently debilitated by illness. Yet people tell me how beautiful I look in those pictures and that I should lose weight again. Well, I say:


... FAT CHANCE!