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 Self Portrait as Gorilla Self Portrait as Butterfly Self Portrait as Eagle Self Portrait as Tiger
 Self Portrait as Elephant Self Portrait as Lion Self Portrait as Pig #2 Self Portrait as Pig #1
Self Portrait as SharkSelf Portrait as GiraffeSelf Portrait as BearMasked Studio Shot
Masked StudioMasked StudioMasked Photo Shoot

MASKED

Masks give permission to assume an alternate persona, allowing one to push the boundaries of their personality and eliminating repression  and social restraints.  By wearing masks, I become a character and  provoke dormant aspects of my identity.  As I spend time analyzing, drawing, and observing a character, role-playing and fantasy can transform into reality; the animalistic persona can become part of my identity.

The “Masked” series uses posing, nudity and stylization to investigate models of beauty, femininity, elegance and tropes of portraiture.  I ascribe and indulge in the stereotype of the artist as spectacle, oddity and celebrity.  In essence, I am selling myself, and seducing the viewer with my character and my sexuality.

In spite of what many deem as the “Post-Skill Era”, a time where craftsmanship is a detriment, I strive to challenge myself with new visual problems in order to hone my drawing ability and technique.  I create my work by applying thin layers of powdered graphite to paper with a dry brush. Illusion dissolves into brushwork and the honesty of the material.

contact melissa: melissacookeart@gmail.com
gallery representation:>web: Koplin Del Rio
>e-mail: info@koplindelrio.com>phone: 310.836.9055
All images and materials are licensed under a Creative Commons License