Exhibited from March through May, 2015 (extended into June) at R. Cline Arts Gallery, Las Vegas, Nevada, with artist's talk on May 14, 2015.

Link to Las Vegas Weekly interview by Kristen Peterson: http://lasvegasweekly.com/ae/fine-art/2015/apr/01/going-beneath-surface/

Artist's Statement:

Almost everyone comprehends the symbolic nature of masks. There are the surface masks of clothing that we wear every day. There are fun masks, play masks, party masks, ski masks, and useful protective masks of all kinds. This series, however, studies how we mask and unmask in other, more symbolic ways as part of our healing from past wounds. As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and adult rape and a childhood spent maneuvering through parental mental illness, my life choices have been colored by these wounds. Others suffer from similar or even more horrific wounds. Our outward personas often hide those things we are afraid or ashamed of. Choosing to unmask those wounds within myself through often excruciating honesty by stripping myself of clothing, but masking my face and collaging strange digital layers (most often taken from my own paintings) , I ask viewers to take an equally transparent look at themselves as well as an invitation to healing.
What are we afraid others might see?
Are we so different from each other?
What masks are holding us back?
And why do we choose these masks?
Additionally, the titles of each piece further unmask their meaning and invite a private (or even public) conversation between the viewer and the woman staring back at them. My very public unmasking validates and magnifies the message of humanity's internal dichotomy: We are broken/whole; We are horrid/wonderful; We are conflicted/at peace; We are clueless/intuitive; We are miserly/generous; We are inconsiderate/attentive; We are lazy/disciplined; We are solemn/playful; We are tepid/passionate;
I am “we”.
I am you.
We can heal.