Dreaming - Self Portrait 2020

Sculpting materials- Face Cast in Monster Clay, Resin Cast, embellished in Apoxie Clay.
Big shout out to Jake Corrick who helped with molding and Casting.

Artist Statement:
“It’s been challenging to find time to sculpt as freely as I use to now that I’m a stay-at-home father. I decided I would take a break from art shows so I could focus 100% of my energy on family but before I could pull the art plug, my friends at Copro Gallery invited me to sculpt one last piece for the 25th annual LA Art show. I figured this would be the last sculpture I create for a while, so I wanted to make something that was true to myself, though I wasn’t sure how that would translate visually.

A lot of times when I’m sculpting a piece, I don’t necessarily know what I’m making or even why I’m creating it until it’s finished. When I started this self portrait, I hadn’t had a full night’s sleep in months. I needed a moment of solace, and if I couldn’t get one in real life then perhaps this sculpture could. Sort of a wishful thinking piece. “Dreaming” is my interpretation of the blissful feeling you get during a deep REM sleep. The third eye symbolizing the POV of the dream state. The moon and stars are the characters within the dream. Black tears stream from sleeping eyes representing the shedding of negative thoughts.

Creating this was both eerie and therapeutic. Sort of an outer body experience where you get to play the role of your own corpse’s mortuary makeup artist in an attempt to put yourself back together for a final viewing. A week after the sculpture was completed, I finally got a full night’s sleep and the emotion from the sculpture manifested into my own.”
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Dreaming - Self Portrait Sculpture by Jim McKenzie for LA Art Show 2020..