African Santos in Progress

As you know, I have been working on a series of Santos that have real wings wrapped in forged copper. This African Santos is cast in Encaustic Wax with a gorgeous surface treatment of Pewter. By the way, Encaustic Wax just loves surface treatments! I show all types of surface treatments in my workshops, usually just a few at a time, so even if you took all of my workshops at one conference, you’d just get smarter and more inspired!

Anyway, this Santos, since his wings decided to attach in a certain way (how much are we leading the piece really- and how much is it leading us? the eternal question), was going to become a wall hanging, as opposed to a standing cage doll. So I made a sweet little forged hook to hang from a nail, wrapped around tiny screws that runs straight into his body (gotta love that wax!). He will have a long draped garment that is made of a material with metal fiber, so the glisten and drape are incredible (and most importantly, still masculine!). A real Yoruba cloth covers him like an apron, and this in turn, is covered by a forged metal belt with a forest design.

The African Money Knife found its way around his head, like a halo, which is fitting, because his arms are spread like a crucifixion (which is why he insisted in being on the wall), and with this imagery he came together into a powerful piece suggesting the African male- powerful, energetic and raw, yet captured into slavery (money and knife), and into the forced humiliation of the crucifixion, giving ones life for others, yet with the halo, showing the indomitable spirit of a man who must rely on a higher force through wicked circumstances, lifting up the rest of us as we gaze and gather courage for our own battle.

That, my friends, is my work in progress- I am drilling holes in the forged belt, readying to sew on the skirt, attach the halo, and put it out there to show and sell as a cutting edge piece of warrior art.

Happy inventing!

– Linda