("La Cazadora de suenos" 16" x 20" photo, wax, oil pigment, watercolor)
("La Cazadora de suenos 2" 12" x 12" photo, acrylic, watercolor, oil pigment)
Both images are originals-they are not what one would call composite work done in Photoshop or some other photo software. The image of the model is printed on Japanese paper that is treated with a digital ground. The flowers in "La Cazadora de seunos 2" are also a photograph of a surface and are printed on the same kind of Japanese paper.
Originally, this show was slated to exhibit in Dec. 2010, but got moved up an entire year for some construction work that needed to get done in the gallery. Unfortunately, for me, I was the only one who had photographed that model before it was postponed. And, that model was not available to continue on in 2011 with the photographers, so I had to re-do my photoshoot session and came up with an entirely different concept from my original shoot. In the original session, my concept was about a forgotten goddess. You can find out more about that session here (which includes my image).
The story and inspiration for "La Cazadora de suenos" comes from a shrine I created in 2010 for an on line charity project that I contribute to annually. The shrines are artfully created from cigar boxes and are sold at an on line auction-the monies raised for that auction go entirely to the street children of Oaxaca-a grass roots movement to end poverty through education.
Here's a shot of work in progress of the doll that was in that shrine for 2010:
The dress is comprised of pages from a dictionary just as my life sized version is. The life sized dream catcher was made by a blogging friend of mine, Joe Spado. And the face and headdress is inspired by the people of Omo. To loosely explain the significance of each of these things-the pages of the dictionary speak of the importance of education, the dream catcher represents the dreams that do come true with education, and the tribute to the people of Omo has to do with the limitless creativity we possess within ourselves-it speaks of our potential. And of what is possible.
