Dia De Los Muertos
My latest painting, Skeletal Braids, was created using the gel plate method that I have been experimenting with recently and is part of my annual countdown to both Halloween and El Dia De Los Muertos. The image at the center is a skeleton with long braids inspired by Willie Nelson, crowned with a wide brimmed Mariachi hat painted in rich gold and red. This figure carries both playfulness and reverence, blending cultural symbols of music, tradition, and celebration with the universal reminder of mortality. I wanted to honor the way these traditions invite us to look directly at death while also finding beauty, humor, and strength in its presence.
The background adds another layer of meaning, built from a gradient of iridescent lime green blending into a salmon clay orange. I then stamped it with a rose pattern that lifted away the paint, allowing the raw paper beneath to show through faintly like a ghostly impression. That detail felt important, as if the roses were always there beneath the surface, waiting to emerge. Skeletal Braids is at once festive and meditative, a piece that asks us to celebrate while also acknowledging the cycles of life and loss. For me, it is both a personal ritual and a way of keeping alive the spirit of traditions that continue to shape my art and my sense of belonging.
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