Momento Mori, (original collage painting) Collage

From my "Absurdist Series". This image originated in a found, vintage, B/W photo which was probably intended as an advertising photo for selling properties. It was highly staged and well lit. Everything in it, seemed to be meticulously arranged and "in-order". Long ago I discovered that ancient Romans had a phrase, "Momento Mori". It literally means "Remember you must die" - but in context, it often means something more like "YOLO" or "Carpe Diem". Basically it meant "Enjoy your life to the fullest because tomorrow is not promised". And although the woman in this photo is relaxing in a luxurious environment, the words "Momento Mori" are haphazardly strewn in physical form, throughout the room. They seem to be the only thing out of place. That is, until we inspect closer. We can see that she has removed her face mask to show us what lies underneath. This entire image seems to have taken on a cartoon reality since she seems to be quite relaxed and unharmed, despite exposing her naked skull to the world for inspection. This image is Photo-collage, Charcoal, Acrylic paint, Goache, Watercolor, and some Spray-paint as well. The paper is Rives BFK, which is a real pleasure to draw or paint on. I really worked hard to integrate every element and every detail into a seamless image. Its difficult to see all the meticulous details in an online photo. I pulled out all the stops for this one. (check out the detail pix) This artwork is framed in an unusual way, it's known as a "float frame". This means the actual artwork apears to "float" above the backing. It really showcases the artwork, it's textures as well as the beautiful paper, to its full potential. This series really just revels in the absurd. Sometimes it's pretty, sometimes it's grotesque. I began this series in oil painting. But, as you can see, it's expanded to photo collage and found images as well.