Maya is Illusion, But Her Veil is Our Essential Nature

I have always been attracted to the promise of a veil. Often it is the promise of surprise, other times that of anticipation. Be that in psychology or the explorations of poetry into human behavior, the idea of hiding behind a shield is inevitably linked to vulnerability.

Of course, in the past 5 months the veil has gotten a new identity as we all face Covid-19. Now it is a facial covering or a mask, and it has become the single most practical way to break the cycle of community transmission.  So the veil is not only to shield our secrets, but to behave in a socially responsible manner.

.. . I have been painting women wearing veils for a while (https://vaheark.blogspot.com/2020/06/ofelia-wearing-snake-skin-mask-portrait.html ) . Actually the opening page of my literary blog which I started in 2013 was titled “Behind the Veil” (https://vahezen.blogspot.com/2013/06/behind-veil.html ).

But with the new world order of viruses and corresponding human behaviors, the mask or veil has become a popular topic of photography and painting. So, I was asked by a friend if I could paint some of the past portraits I had done in a smaller format so it would easily fit in a small home.

And I liked the challenge.

So, I started with a small patch of cottontail rabbit hide instead of my usual hare hide. The first step was to paint the eyes:

(Notice my makeshift painting knife that is the broken blade of a letter opener).

Since it was rabbit hide, using the rabbit’s fluffy tail as a headpiece seemed appropriate. But in the very small area  had to to work with, many of the natural materials I use in my paintings and sculpture could not be used here. So, en guise of forehead jewelry, I used the claw of a squirrel, and two tiny fragments of turquoise stone.

I like to have earrings adorn the portraits I do of women. In the past I have used moth wings as earrings and they added much colour and curvature. In this case, I needed a very tiny structure that still had texture and character. The solution was in using the petals of a dried flower.

The veil needed to be very delicate given the size of the rabbit hide. The blades of a peacock's tail feather seemed a challenge I wanted to accept. 

So, here are all the pieces :

So far I have used rabbit hide, rabbit tail, squirrel claw and turquoise stones, and peacock feathers. I wanted to fill the lower left quadrant of the “canvas” with something special since I had already decided to not frame this work under glass. So, it was my opportunity to use a coyote carpal pad I had been keeping around for a while. A few dried flowers and the claw became a perfect flower pot!

A round cut from a tree trunk and the new lady with a veil was ready. Here is a comparison with one of the previous portraits I had done. The small size of the canvas cannot accommodate much “intrusion”, but I think it has a charm and inviting pair of eyes.

 July 26, 2020

© Vahé A. Kazandjian, 2020