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Dimensions: : 12”W x 12”H x 1.5”D

Medium: Metal leaf, acrylic, nail polish, makeup, mirror tile, and resin on panel

Additional: Unframed • Sides are gold leaf • Painting comes wired & ready to hang

This painting is part of an ongoing series about the written and spoken word and how language shapes an identity and defines culture. The works are made primarily of gold leaf because much like language, gold leaf is beautiful but complicated and fragile; it can be durable and last decades or destroyed in seconds if handled improperly. The mirror as canvas highlights the notion of identity, and the resin reinforces this concept of self-reflection. The resin is intentionally applied imperfectly to reiterate the beauty in characteristics often described as flaws.

This series started as a response to the reverse culture shock I experienced when I moved back to the States after many years abroad; although English is my native language, upon returning there was much ambiguity in the context and manners of others’ use of the language that I had never noticed before.

As the concept of this series expanded, I incorporated rose gold leaf and various shades of pink metal leaf into the work. I eventually started painting with makeup and nail polish as a subtle response to the #metoo movement and the rising popularity of feminism. Since some of my large abstract paintings are about paradoxes and the coexistence of opposites, I chose the phrase “hey beautiful” because of its various interpretations as it can have different meanings depending on the context and speaker.