Masks are often used as a “talisman” in many cultures around the world. They always fascinate me, with their wealth of symbolism and ancestral markings.

At the time, I created this piece, I was trying to find a way, to merge, the body of ancestry that made me…“me”.

How does one incorporate, Portuguese, Carib, Asian and African, into one equally identifying symbol?

Living in a country, where one is identified by race, I wanted as a child, to have something, maybe a “talisman“, that I could carry. A symbol that would identify all those people that physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally made me.

Maybe, then people would see it and recognize all those parts of me, that I hold near and dear to my heart, and try not to put one identifying label on me.

I did found that “talisman“, and I did found my true self in that journey.  Art is my secret and shared talisman.

Art is where I can combine all of me and show the world, the various aspects of me in a visual and tactile way.  We all have some sort of “talisman“, I think what counts is how we use them and what we use them for.

Peace, now and forever for all.

See you next week…:)