John 1:5
“The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome.” -2021
PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and recovery
Mixed Media 3D Mask Created by Emma DeLoach
● Acrylic painted mixed media mask on stretched canvas
● Size: 8x11
● This artwork is not for sale but available for display
● One of a kind piece of art
● One of two pieces in a growing collections
What inspired you to create this piece?
My loved ones. I can try and explain what is going on in my head until my mouth runs dry and I
breathe my last breath but I’ve felt I never had the words. I am a very visual person. I have a
constant flip book going in my head to turn the words into pictures. This year has brought
diagnoses, uncertainty, recovery and growth. I’ve figured out words for feelings I have had for a
long time and I have a somewhat better understanding of me today than I did a year ago, but
there's more to go so bring it. This piece can bridge that gap where I haven't filled in those
words.
What techniques did you use and why?
Backing: glass cutting,. E600, ModPodge for fogging the mirror (foggy at the top but there with
recovery comes a little more clarity.)
Mask: I used my black acrylic paint pen to doodle over red acrylic paint to symbolize anger and
chaos within me. I used tissue paper to show the confusion I feel when I become overwhelmed.
The gold cracks are a representation of the Japanese art form of kintsukuroi or “golden repair”
in which the artist takes broken pottery and mends it with a binding agent and powdered gold. It
treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise.
The pink bottom half of the mask represents embarrassment and the feeling of me wanting to
shrink away when in social and public settings. The flowers represent my growth. I am very
much a frustrated crier. I also cry when I feel guilt. This tear is for that because I believe I will
hold onto that guilt until I feel like I can right the missed opportunity. Now onto the light coming
from within the mask. I stand firm in the belief that there is always light at the end of the tunnel
and the only person who can find that light is me because it comes from within me. The light
may dim from time to time and be hidden in the chaos of my head but it is there and will always
be there to light my way. I believe my higher power is that light and that is where I get the name
for this piece, His word. John 1:5 “the light shines in the darkness and the darkness will not
overcome it.”
What does this piece mean to me? I did this. This is beautiful. I had an idea and I made it
happen. I was scared I’d mess it up loads of times throughout this process but there it is and I
am digging it. Do I see imperfections, heck to the ever loving yes but you know what? There's
meaning in those imperfections. Just like me, you and the relationships we have built because
of our imperfections. There is so much beauty in them. This piece has challenged me as an
artist. From the planning stage, the execution to the presentation and sharing of my
vulnerabilities. But it was a fun and very rewarding challenge. I am proud.
What does this piece represent in terms of your artistic work as a whole?
I am a baker. With my baking it's very planned and by someone else's book. My doodles are just
random shapes, lines and dots thrown on my work. This is the first real project that has been my
plan from start to finish. I didn't think I had what it took to really complete this project and love
the finished product. I actually really enjoyed the planning process, it surprisingly came easy to
me.