Size: 20"x26"
Model: Dita Von Teese

This is a piece that I recently submitted into the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) art show. For this piece I did a lot of research. The lady represents Catrina who watches over the bones of the dead. Marigolds are considered the flower of the dead so I made them part of her dress and headpiece. I have her face painted like a skull because during the celebration many people do that tradition. Catrina's are usually in an elegant gown so I kept that going with her in an elegant gown. Despite the celebration, I wanted to show the darker side of things as well. I have her getting dirty from all of the bones and mud. I went with a position that was not a standard pose...a little more broken. The skull and rib bones on the far bottom right side are inspired by a drawing that Jose Posada had created of this human spider creation. I wanted to create a contrast between the foreground and the background so I kept the foreground more realistic and the background more sketchy.

The background is my tribute to Jose Posada's work. He is famous for his black and white drawings of Day of the Dead. I went back and forth as to what I wanted on the tombstones. At first because it is considered a celebration of those departed, I thought I might have fun with the tombstones with fun sayings and such. Then I thought a little more and decided that I would rather put on them people in relation to myself and the artwork. Jose Posada is one of them since he was my inspiration for the background. Jeanne McCarthy is a dear friend of mine who passed away some years ago now. I visit her grave every year on her birthday, Nov 1st, so considering the celebration is Nov 1 and 2 I thought it was fitting to put her in there. I love creating pinup art and Bettie Page has always been high in my list of great pinup models. Her death hit me hard this year. I love literature and Annabel Lee is my all time favorite poem by Edgar Allen Poe so I added that. William Shakespeare's work is another love of mine. I decided to stick with tragic love so I went with Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet and Ophelia.

This piece is on display and currently for sale at:
Cottonwood Center for the Arts
427 E. Colorado Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO 80903