Sometimes commission work is the bane of the working artist’s existence, But this time I got to make a dream mixed media assemblage as a commission. I remember the days of being a functional potter and doing commission or custom pieces. Every pot in the kiln would look beautiful except for the one commission piece which enviably would warp or run or just look like shit!
This piece was made for a two people that I have never met, but through the process of creating this piece and working with their stories and personal object I became deeply close to them. Jess and Heather discovered my work at Burning Man and were touched and and intrigued by my large mural piece “What do you Believe” and then contacted me after we all returned to the “normal” world post Burning Man.
This piece was a surprise present for Jess. Heather sent me objects that were special to Jess and her, each one bundled carefully with a story about the significance of each object. As you know if you follow my work one of the reasons I work with found objects is because of the history and energy behind them. The unknown stories and symbolism that more often than not I have to imagine and create in my head. So this was a dream come true to actually work with objects that I knew the stories behind. I was so honored to be entrusted with these precious symbols.
The Unicorn Virgin Mary was born out of precious and quintessential story about an experience of meeting a special soul at Burning Man. I got to take that story and interrupt and expand upon it to create a shrine about love and the strange magic that is created in “that week in the desert” called Burning Man
The email received from Heather after opening the piece made me cry and feel like THIS IS THE WORK I AM SUPPOSE TO BE DOING IN THIS LIFE. I have permission to share it with you…
Clarissa!! Wow! I cannot even begin to express the feelings we felt when opening Our Lady Me! Our minds were totally blown! Still completely in awe! You are exceptionally gifted. You truly captured our hearts with your work. We cried and cried and examined every little detail of it. She's absolutely perfect! Again, wow! We are so honored to have her. It's hard to express, because she is so powerful! Breathtaking. We spent countless hours in front of her, adoring her on New Years Day! And you!! You are brilliant! We can't wrap our heads around it. What you wrote too! Thank you!! It couldn't have been more special. Jess is going to frame it and put it up next to "Me". That piece is beyond a piece to us. It represents our love... our past, present, and future journeys. Our Lady Me will never go a day without appreciation and love. We "believe" there is a life to your art. It is flawless! What you did with my things!??? How!? The details, the clean lines, placement, the symmetry, and the coloring! Where do I begin? We can never thank you enough! Hopefully, someday, we will have an opportunity to meet you and express our gratitude in person. Thank you thank you thank you. I will write you again soon. Jess too, because I know she wants to. We love and respect you so much and would like to continue to support you for many years to come!
Wishing you joy and happiness in 2014!!
Love, Heather :)
I look forward to putting more of this kind of work out there into our world… Do you have special items and stories you want to honor? Contact me lets create magic together…
