I created this painting in honor of and inspiration of Frida Kahlo. It was from this photo of her in one of my Frida Books, where she had just returned home after spending a year in the hospital in 1952. This photo really captured my attention because I felt such a peaceful and almost transcendent vibe from it, despite all her known suffering. I felt like it was timeless, and that the true essence of Frida Kahlo was not limited to this frail and sickly body. There was so much more than what the eye could see. I decided to recreate this photo with her as a skeleton to demonstrate that no matter how long the body would last, it was the soul or essence of a life that would carry on and affect others over many many life times and for an eternity. Her time here was temporary but yet the true essence of Frida is eternal. I painted her holding a palette with many colors, blues, reds, greens to represent life and all it’s colorful experiences; all the joy and all the suffering. It is all there on this earthly palette. Her paintbrush holds two colors; Red and White. The red is on the bottom, streaking down from the palette of life, to signify, all the suffering she had to experience in her life, and the white on top, that lightly casts upwards, to signify, that Light overcomes all suffering; that suffering is temporary and perhaps necessary although we may not understand in our human experiences at the time. The white from the brush, leads upwards to the top of the painting above the skull of Frida to also demonstrate her soul which leaves her broken body, and lives on for an eternity. The red color of the blanket that encapsulates her, is an ocean of life. It’s the color of blood and life. Her life was so rich and infectious, that many people around her, and today get lost in this ocean of her life with so many stories of joy and pain. It really captures the human experience and touches us deeply in our hearts and minds. The dog next to her is a sign of all her affection and love for the simple pleasures in life. She loved her animals, plants, and nature. This is shown in her own paintings, and is why I recreated one of her paintings, 'Viva la Vida' with the watermelons on her own body cast. She painted her body casts to add color and happiness to something that clearly represented pain and suffering to her. The skeleton perched upon her bed is curious. I’m not sure why I had to add it in. She had a humorous side and think today if she was watching all of us who are inspired by her that she would be laugh and be delighted. Perhaps this is her as a witness to it all?