Marcy Friesen

Artist Statement

This is a mental health mask. The effects of covid 19 has brought out so many emotions in me. I chose to bead a five petal flower exploding as I have previously beaded on my mental health moccasin. I have been aware of mental health issues my whole life in one form or another. I feel it is still something we don’t feel comfortable talking about. I chose to use bead soup and each bead represents a feeling or emotion that I have felt these past few months to varying degrees. I also beaded in a couple hidden images as people suffering with mental health issues can be so private so if we don’t know what to look for or what to ask, we wont know and won't be able to open up discussions. I've backed the mask with a skunk pelt simply because mental health issues and depression really stinks!! And the silver fox ties are so soft reminding me to be gentle and kind with myself and everyone around me because we are all going through this together. I hope you love it and that it helps in some way.