Radioactive Heads
In my series of nuclear concerns, I felt a need for a human presence in my artwork referencing nuclear radioactivity. As a result, I decided to paint on some plastic mannequin heads instead of on canvas or paper. The photo above, which appeared in the just published Ploughshares Council Docket magazine, illustrates a few of these works.
“Fiesta Ware”
The series started when I completely covered the first mannequin head with a bright red-orange acrylic paint. This color alluded to the use of toxic radium in glaze coloration of Fiesta ware plates in the 30’s. To be noted is the fact that radium paint emits alpha, beta, and gamma radiation, and because there is no shielding inside the body, if it is swallowed or inhaled, it is physically dangerous.
“Radium Girl with Tumor”
As I continued with the radium scenario, I focused on creating a face representing young women who, in the 1920’s, painted watch dials and other items with radioactive radium. As each employed girl tediously painted watch dials, they “pointed” the paint-covered brushes in their mouths — thereby ingesting deadly amounts of radium. They were not told they were working with poison. As a result, these “Radium Girls” died disfiguring and painful deaths.
“Starvation”
“Starvation” ended up being my last piece in the series. The face was the most terrifying to paint because it illustrated the head of a final living human on our planet starving during a nuclear winter. Such a situation could conceivably happen when, after a major nuclear war or accident, “thick black, smoke-filled clouds (would) block out almost the entirety of the sun’s light for a period of several weeks. The conditions of semidarkness, killing frosts, and subfreezing temperatures, combined with high doses of radiation from nuclear fallout, would interrupt plant photosynthesis and could thus destroy much of the Earth’s vegetation and animal life. (from the R.P. Turco, O.B. Toon, T.P. Ackerman, J.B. Pollack, and Carl Sagan (referred to as TTAPS) 1983 paper entitled “Global Atmospheric Consequences of Nuclear War”)
Art Tip
I easily found the clear plastic mannequin heads on Amazon. To get the effects I wanted, I brushed on acrylic paint employing the same techniques I use on canvas. For the “Radium Girl with Tumor”, I added many layers of crumpled gessoed paper and then smoothed it over. In the “Starvation” head, I actually used my hairdryer which melted the plastic resulting in the sunken cheeks. My advice here is to use whatever materials inspire you. Follow your bright ideas and visions! Most importantly, use your creative voice to assert what you want to say.
Resources:
www.ploughshares.org
www.fairewinds.org
www.beyondnuclearinternational.org
www.earthjustice.org
www.bredl.org (Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League)
www.swuraniumimpacts.org (Multicultural Alliance for a Safe Environment)
Until next time…
Mary Lou
In my studio, Summer 2021. Photo by Kim Thompson Steel