Adornment
This painting, Adornment, is an oil painting on canvas panel, approximately 16x24 inches, incorporating beadwork and botanical embellishment. The mixed-media elements extend beyond the flat surface of the canvas and become a three-dimensional aspect that introduces weight, texture, and physical presence to the piece. The painting is inspired by John Everett Millais, Ophelia (1851-52) and the William Shakespeare play, Hamlet.
Adornment has historically been associated with femininity. Jewelry, embellishment, and ornament have often been dismissed as superficial despite the cultural, spiritual, and social significance. In this work, adornment is used as a form of armor.
The beadwork and surface embellishments in the painting transform beauty into an act of endurance, as each element took time and care to place. The botanicals framing the body act as a protective structure. While adornment has been used to signify devotion, mourning, status, or belonging, in this painting it serves as a response to vulnerability. The act of adorning the body becomes a way to assert control over how the body is seen and remembered.
Beauty is not presented as a weakness in this painting, but a strategy of protection.
Adornment is a self-portrait. Oil paint is my medium of choice, however, I did have to wait for the paint to dry before adding on the embellishments and florals. I had never painted something half-submerged in water before, so I found it particularly challenging to approach the blending of the body into the water. I originally included arms in the painting, but found that it was out of my skill level to paint them as I had planned. The florals also proved difficult to work with, as I had to individually glue each one onto the canvas panel, resulting in some of the petals getting stuck to my fingers or the panel. Overall, I would rework the face some to make it look a bit more realistic if there were no time constraints.