The inspiration for this painting started with a watercolor class in Houston. I entered a store to purchase an object required for the class and an African mask caught my attention. I was saddened by the expression of the eyes, appearing open but not seeing. It was beautifully carved in wood on the outside, yet hollow on the inside.

As I was painting this subject, I realized that the mask was a visual symbol representing experiences and influences “carving out my life”, ie, masks worn trying to be all things to all people. This insight began an inward journey in which I desired to let Christ Jesus show me whom HE had made me to be. The sadness of the original perception became joy in the discovery, so I named the painting, “Unmasked Joy”.