Inspiration for Masked Identity - Our Lady of Perpetual Tears

The inspiration for this project came to me through my background of parochial education.  It's a bit allegorical with the basis routed in the Virgin Mary and the influence of the nuns from the twelve years of Catholic education.  As one experiences life, there are many times when the only recourse with dealing with the circumstances we do not understand is to simply cry and allow ourselves the cleansing of sorrow that comes to us with this simple human emotion.  Our Lady of Perpetual Tears is the product of religion, human experience, and the need for the link with the human and divine.

Masked Identity - Our Lady of Perpetual Tears

 Starting to create the framework.

 

 Starting to take shape.

 

 The shaping continues.

 

 Starting to see the overall shape.

 

 The framework is complete.

 

The first layer of  tracing paper. 

 

 The side view showing the shaping with the tracing paper.

 

The first assembly starting to add the layers of shredded paper layers or tears.

 

 

 Side view showing the additional front and back panels.

 

 Final product with the addition of the final veil.

 

 Part of the inspiration for the piece is the Madonna or Virgin Mary.

 

 The piece worn and taken in front of the inspiration of the Madonna in the Cathedral.

 

A kneeling pose before the altar. 

 

A front view of the penitent.  

 

A pose with a more expanded view of the altar area. 

 

 The last pose with the mask of Our Lady of Perpetual Tears.

 

The drawings of Masked Identity.

Response to Switcheroo

After listening to the interview piece with Ira Glass, Etgar Keret and Cindy Sherman, I wonder how many artists would enjoy the fact that someone was impersonating them.  Although if one stops to think this through, Cindy Sherman's art is an impersonation.  She, in fact, uses herself, dressed and posed as her medium of art expression, or impersonation of how she sees that particular character or portrayal.  When she is asked by Ira Glass how she really feels about someone at her exhibition impersonating her, her answer was a bit surprising.  She thought it was GREAT and said she would encourage the person to do it again!  One certainly has to be comfortable with their own art and identity to respond in such a manner.  Ira concludes that there are times when such impersonations are truly harmless, while other times such acts are literally criminal and just plain wrong.  In this case, there was a happy ending with no harm, no foul.  That's art! 

Research for Independent Design

I researched the legend of the sand dollar after looking at an arrowhead sand dollar that I had in a collection.  I wanted to use the delicate pattern of the lily which is etched on one side because it was such a part of the natural beauty of the piece.  When I found the written legend, I thought I could expand on the sand dollar by interpreting the legend by stacking the paper pieces and stringing them together in some type of hanging art piece.  At first I thought a mobile would be a good choice, but then was convinced it would be too cliché.  So I decided to stack the sand dollar to appear as it would, if it was floating onto the sand and left a small graduated trail, with the lily cut out and stacked as one piece, the tear drop stacked as one piece, and lastly, the doves stacked as another piece. The doves are not visible and are contained within the sand dollar, and can only be accessed if the shell is broken.  The final product is the piece hanging in the arch.

Legend of the Sand Dollar

Pictures on Paper Stacking