I painted my latest piece, Effigy (2020) on a wooden mask, which was carved in wood by my late grandfather, Miles, over half a century ago.
He worked as a photographer and liked to paint landscapes. However, his father was a woodcarver by trade. Similarly, Miles had a proclivity towards working with wood. I was exceptionally close to my grandfather and he passed down his creative knowledge to me.
I was inspired by Miles to become an artist. Accordingly, he has featured in many of my paintings including Photobooth (2014), War (2017) and Nana and Gar (2018).
Posthumously, I catalogued his work and even restored and finished long forgotten works. These included Collaboration (1971-2017), Consciousness (2017) and Renaissance (2017), where I repainted his portrait from 1965.
Evoking Expression
Effigy (2020) is not the first time I have painted my grandfather’s masks. However, it is the first time I have physically painted the mask itself.
In The Mask (2017), I painted the image of the mask, which had been made out of found objects.
The result was a painting that complimented the three-dimensional version. In this piece, I wanted to restore the mask to its original glory.
As was the case with much of my grandfather’s work, it was not stored correctly after his death. In this instance, the wood was dusty but salvageable.
Although the face did not have distinct eyes carved, I wanted Effigy (2020) to bring realism in evoking an expression.
In order to breathe new life into my grandfather’s wood carving, I used a palette dominated by earthy colours. This included ochres, browns and yellows.
Effigy (2020) is a special piece, which honours my mentor and keeps his memory alive for the next generation. Moreover, it is symbolic of a new start and a fresh beginning. Here is to a decade to remember and all the creative endeavours it may bring.