Janice Hathaway
The Mask of Seasons – Spring
2026
The Mask of Seasons is a response to a query for La Sirena’s game ‘The Shadow-Self: Under this Mask Another Mask…’ The symbolic meaning of the mask for spring embodies has many flowers, leaves and birds that find their way into my creative work. Eyes peek out of ‘The Mask of Seasons’, covered with leaves, flowers and birds allowing the wearer to escape the gaze of others thus presenting a new and different face.
Due to the changing quality of weather, the mask corresponds by transforming the mask from one season to another. As nature’s cycle begins in the spring, vibrant and colourful blossoms appear as the temperature warm. Tulips, daffodils and vibrant green leaves adorn the mask adding a fragrant scent as new growth unfurl while lively hummingbirds surround the mask feeding on succulent spring flowers.
‘The Mask of Seasons’ is a deity to flora with seasonal changes reflecting the stages of life, from birth, adolescence, maturity and then death. Yet, in the spring of each year ‘The Mask of Seasons’ begins anew a riot of aroma, color and activity for the wearer. Serving as a veil between the visible and invisible, never concealing but transforming the identity of wearer, ‘The Mask of Seasons’ exists between the physical and spiritual realms. Never was their better disguise than this to avert the eye of the viewer.
Eleven photographs were digitally cut, blended, warped, and painted including a male figure holding a scroll from the National Museum of Scotland, a ruby and pearl broach and golden rings from a clock from the Victoria and Albert Museum, a portal cover from The Mariner’s Museum in Rotterdam, flowers from Biltmore Estate, water from the Chattanooga Aquarium, a sky from The Netherlands, a receding series of mountains from Scotland, rock outcroppings with a waterfall also from Scotland, an antique map and a NASA view of earth.