"I hope the exit is joyful - and I hope never to return"

howdy!

First off, i want to apologize for not having posted in a long long time. i just haven't felt like i've had much to share, though the work i continue to see here on the Autumn Society astounds and amazes daily. I was all too excited to contribute this to the Dia De Los Muertos show!

I also excitedly [hastily] carved/burned a special frame as well, though it was the first time i did anything like that and certainly nothing to brag about on the topic of craftsmanship.

There were a million directions i wanted to go with such a rich topic. this one began as a Catrina and got skewed in the representation along the way. what i love about the catrinas are the intention to mock the "...fashionable, despite their pretensions to importance, are just as susceptible to death as anyone else is." the whole " king may go through the progress through the guts of a beggar" from Hamlet, or death being the great equalizer is delightful indeed. i loathe celebrity worship and much of what is rewarded and glorified in popular culture. it upsets me deeply when i am confronted by it or immersed in it, and though i didn't exactly say that here, it's certainly where i found myself coming from.

The other thing i really related to regarding the holiday was the following quote/excerpt:
"Octavio Paz observes that, undaunted by death, the Mexican has no qualms about getting up close and personal with death, noting that he "...chases after it, mocks it, courts it, hugs it, sleeps with it; it is his favorite plaything and his most lasting love."
i think on the subject a bit more than most, and certainly enjoy prodding the flame, and think on death only often enough so as not to be mortified by it as it creeps closer and closer, or should it comes sudden, unfair and without warning.

Thanks so much

-Peter