So the Aztec assembly I have been working on for quite awhile, turned beachy. A friend said it was likely Polynesian not Aztec as I’d first thought. At first I was going to frame it myself using balsa wood, but it just wasn’t coming together. I found this frame at a dollar store, but then had to add layers and modify the hanger at the back to create more of a shadow box effect. I did a teal wash over the piece as it was decaying and moldy from hanging outside for so long. Hope that will preserve it a bit. I painted a teal backdrop to extend the length of the piece and glued it on with Modge Podge. I added foam on the edges to even out the layers and make room for the little carving. All the other shells and driftwood and bits and pieces will be going into another project.
If it is Polynesian, it could be a replica of a Moai or moʻai (/ˈmoʊ. aɪ/ MOH-eye; Spanish: moái; Rapa Nui: moʻai, lit. ‘statue’). According to Wikipedia, they are “monolithic human figures carved by the Rapa Nui people on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) in eastern Polynesia between the years 1250 and 1500.” I added a piece of algae (preserved with Modge Podge) that I picked up on Jericho Beach on Canada Day. The tide was out that day and a friend and I took off our Keens and walked way way out, massaging our bare feet in the soft, wet sand. We felt it was a perfect way to acknowledge our home on native land. That memory will forever be attached to this picture.