We are all characters playing through our own story, one that weaves amongst many others creating a wondrous tapestry. A fractal of story within other stories of who we are and where we ALL are going. The parts we choose become the defining plot of our souls and our parts define us, or do we define the part?

We are born and ultimately have to choose a mask until the time comes we can remove it and reveal are true selves, both in our own hearts, and in the community that surrounds us. Do we play the part for good, or ill? Do we even know and  aware of the character we play? Does it match the one we create in the self-narrative in our heads, or do we project someone else? Do they match? 

This piece carries a lot of questions, but what better way to calibrate this vessel we travel within. Ultimately, step by step, we figure out who we are and who we want to be, and then ultimately reflect that on the community and world we wish to be a part of. Trials and tribulations lead us forward. Practice. Practice. Practice. Sooner or later, we find ourselves and stand on our stage in confidence. 

The drama masks, Comedy and Tragedy have their origin on the Greek stage as old as civilization itself, and even further back. Thalia (Comedy) & Melpomene (Tragedy), the Muses that are the inspiration for this dynamic. Here they are, opening the curtains and revealing the stage. At center, two marionettes puppeteering the 4 elements, together we all dance around the sun. 

In Japan, they appeared as the Kabuki masks, derived from the verd "kabuku"," meaning "to lean" or "to be out of the ordinary". They explore themes of transformation, from the mundane into the transcendent and culminate in rebirth and renewal. 

The painting shows a blue mask and a red mask. In the limelight, blue comes towards you and red recedes. Are you coming or going? Are the masks looking at you, or you looking through the masks? Which one is comedy and which one is tragedy? So many questions we face in life. 

And yes, that’s a variant of the Godsmack logo hitting you upside the head in a kind way waking you up to this reality.