Honorable Mention

Rock Paper Scissors

by Aileen Imperatrice
Fresno, CA United States
Painting: Acrylic
$800

Vision Statement

2 years following the slow death of my mother and then 2 weeks after her funeral when I was diagnosed with Cancer, I created this piece as part of my series “Paper Dolls”. It was at first a reflection on the fond memories of playing paper dolls with my mom and her collection when I was a child that flooded back to me while I took care of her in her final year. But the series also came to represent the times of the Pandemic and my Cancer battle, both requiring caution of being exposed to further sickness. I wore a mask even before the Pandemic reached us and have remained mostly still in lockdown. The Paper Dolls reference the many masks and the tenuousness of our existence in the real world. This piece came to represent all of this and the delicate balance between choices and outcomes.