Sefton Open Art Exhibition

Well I was thrilled this morning to open my post and learn that I have been accepted to exhibit at the annual Sefton Open Art Exhibition! Here's a photo of my entry, it's called In The Blue House - and shows the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo at work in her studio. I made the Frida figure from porcelain slip in a mold I made myself. I've used real hair, made the tiny clothes and painted her with acrylics (she even has the famous mono-brow and the hint of a moustache.) The Day of The Dead style skulls are hand carved bisque fired porcelain - and inside the hollow ones I have put tiny lights. If you look in the background you'll see Diego Riverra, her husband, looking through the window - and on the windowsill are a fawn and an elephant - this is Frida and Diego. Scattered around her studio are bottles of booze, cigarettes and drugs - as Frida needed these to help her endure the horrendous pain she was in after the life changing traffic accident she had as a very young woman. At her feet on the floor is her diary - this was published after her death. And on her back is a monkey - Frida kept monkeys as pets and often featured them in her paintings - but the monkey on her back also symbolises her understandable dependence on painkilling substances. Hope you like it as much as I loved making it.