I knew how to decorate the mask but wasn't sure which paint to use for the base. The colour should say who I was, how I felt about myself and what I should do with myself.
After struggling with the decision, I chose a gradual change from deep blue to white, representing the changes in me. I chose blue to echo my calm, silent self and other characteristics yet to be discovered.
I cut out a corner of the mask and allowed ropes of twisted golden metal to spring up from behind.
A red butterfly, representing happiness, hung over a purple rose blooming on the side of the mask, representing the abundance of grace God had planted in me all these years.
I hung strings of metallic beads from the eyes. The beads shone like tiny teardrops. I cry a lot. It is a way of expressing anger and frustration, of treating my wounds and dealing with situations when I feel overloaded. I padded the lips in gold, as thick lips are one of my trademarks.
The finished piece looked like a typical Venetian mask, a little plain if you just focused on the mask itself. But if you looked a bit more, you would see the golden curls springing up behind it.