Christina A. WestUnmet #6

In the "Unmet" series, I sculpt portraits of family and friends, bringing out the memories I have of them and their personalities through an antique-looking bust. Although the portraits are initially hyper-realistic, I modify them to bring a new reading. As I hollow out the sculpture, the facial features gradually disappear to highlight what is not visible when we look at others.

These busts are made by pouring several pigmented hydrocal inside a mold; no paint is applied to the surface, the color is impregnated into the material. I sculpt, I excavate layers of color to reveal unpredictable forms. These colors and shapes become abstract suggestions of interiority, though they reveal nothing about the person depicted, ultimately underscoring the inherent mystery, ambiguity and inaccessibility of the psychology of others.