"Altared Nights"

"Altared Nights"●
This is a piece I just finished, and will be featured at an auction to raise funds for a community event for Day of the Dead.  In thinking about the upcoming Day of the Dead celebrations throughout Mexico and Latin America, I tried to imagine how altars are created by the people who make them and keep them to honor their faith in god and in their saint of choice, the Our Lady of Guadalupe.  The very poor and faithful find ways to create things of beauty from nothing or very little. Altars are not special because of the value of the things that make them up, rather they are valuable because of the special things they represent. 

This simple altar is made up of a wooden drawer from a dismantled tool bench.  The front columns are the legs a chair that have been split in half, a marble is inserted where the dowels used to be.  The inside of the drawer is covered with colorful tissues, and an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  I added some 'bling' and glitter, flowers and glow in the dark stars, and inserted a piece of glass in front.  
Very kool! (click on image to enlarge)  IN PRIVATE COLLECTION