"Cat Tessellation": A tessellation covers a surface or plane, using one or more geometric shapes to create a harmonious pattern with no overlap. Made with illustration board, cardstock, and glue.
"Zoo Morph": A progression from the letter 'A' to an angelish. Made with illustration board, tracing paper, pencil, and acrylic paint.
Recreation of Vincent Van Gogh's "Boats at Sea, Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer". Made with ink and toney gray paper.
"Ghostly Aura": A random figure was drawn in the middle with overlapping monochromatic outlines around it, mimicking the look of an aura. Made with illustration board and acrylic paint.
"Wired Winona": A wire recreation of a portrait photo of my cat, Winona. Made with thick wire, extremely fine wire and a bell.
"A teacup": A cardboard recreation of a mug with an 'A' on it and a teabag brewing "inside". Made with cardboard and hot glue.
"Ava Lanche" Yeti: A repainted buffoon mask to mimic a Yeti in Drag makeup. Created using paint, false eyelashes, lash glue, and eye glitter. Scrow below to learn more!
"Keyki the Keyboard Kitty & her Mouse": A cat with a computer head with ears attached to it, a pixelated expression, and a mouse-mouse in her lap. Made with Sculpey and paint.
The birth of “Ava Lanche”
“Ava Lanche” is a drag-donning Yeti that acts as a personified version of myself. I created this piece for a 3-D design course I was taking, where I was tasked with a project involving wearable art and self-identity. I was intimidated by the idea of creating something new, so I looked for ideas. I’ve always loved the physical imagery of a yeti: Protective, brooding, isolated, and cold. I felt these words have been used to describe my demeanor by people who didn’t really know me, intimidated by me in nature. I didn’t mind these perceptions, and I wanted to capitalize on how such negative descriptors could birth a powerful image of strength and beauty. Often, yetis are not described as beautiful creatures. Monsters never are. Going through a difficult period in myself, I felt like a monster in the way of feeling misunderstood and powerless. That led to combining the intimidating image of a yeti with the gorgeous intricacies of Drag makeup. I fell in love with drag artistry with my exposure to Rupaul’s Drag Race in my youth, fascinated with the exaggerated embodiment of femininity and the varying levels of performance art. A drag queen’s makeup is a distinct trademark of her style and solidifies the image of her persona.
I wanted to counteract the typical features of a yeti that are written off as “ugly” because of its uncertainty or fearsomeness. I experimented with drag makeup for the first time (top left) and knew that this was the direction I wanted to go with the project. I repurposed a buffoon mask and started by painting it a light, icy blue. Then, I incorporated an almost exact replication of the original eye look I created but added lashes on the bottom because the cut of the eyeholes inhibited the look of them too much for my liking. I also did a dark purple lip instead of the bright red to keep a cool-toned look to better match the typical environment of a yeti. Lastly, I added makeup glitter over the eyes and I found the snowflake glitter to be the perfect final touch. The mask was still unnamed at this point and I knew I wanted a typical punny drag name that related to the cold. I brilliantly thought to separate the word avalanche - a mass of snow, ice, and rocks falling down a mountainside. Yeti folklore often has them residing in the tops of mountains (such as the Himalayas), and I thought the name was the perfect fit to complete my ideation. The most powerful thing about this piece is how the makeup on the yeti symbolizes finding beauty in the parts we don’t like about ourselves, the flaws that make us feel like “monsters” wherever we go. Can we learn to find beauty in the monster and love her, too?
