There are so many disparate elements in the finished piece, the self-portrait as it is now might be best called “an organic compound.”
I started with an attempt at a plant mask, made of leaves, spores, seeds, a dried flower and beads. I added Mexican stone bird beads to the roots, using and heavy duty thread. Finally, I added , and added embroidery and sewing around sections of root.
The finishing touches were added during the last day I was at the KC’s Fringe Festival.
The roots were collected from the grounds of the Boulevard Brewery in 2005, as they were breaking ground for the expansion.
Several trees had been fallen in the same small area and revealed a huge cluster of roots. I was taken by the orange ones and took what I could of those, unable to determine which tree they were associated with.
The frame was made by a friend using reclaimed wood.