Tres Faces

“The Japanese say you have three faces.
The first face, you show to the world. The second face, you show to your close friends, and your family.
The third face, you never show anyone. It is the truest reflection of who you are.”

The quote above is in large part the inspiration for this painting, it will no doubt be the building blocks of many pieces later to come.

To me, the quote speaks on the psychological barriers that we often put up as forms of protection. In its essence, I would sum it up to be the fear of not being accepted. Layers of release, layers of comfortability, of that acceptance.

In years of reflection and study of self I argue that last one, or rather ask you, is there a deeper face?

One that many never see let alone know and become intimate with? Perhaps even a side of you that you have not even faced. Not because of inability to, but rather a refusal of acknowledgment.

This piece of art to me represents awareness, am I being just as real and true to the man whose eyes I do not know? Is my truth to him on equal grounds to that of my mother? To that of my father? If I can hold these truths, stand on them. breath and eat them then a bond will be formed with the third face… potentially to be seen. But I question in this pursuit of authenticity can I, will I, see the fourth? Breathing in its breath will I be able to make love to its shadow, its flaws?

I encourage you, how can you be more real today? to shed the first face of armor to take a deeper look at the second, and if you are brave enough the third.

How we can be more truthful to the man next to us, the women in front of us.

What might it require? How do we communicate? Do we even? To clarify, I don’t mean simply with one another but with ourselves. The more truthful and authentic to ourselves that we are able to be well.. wouldn’t be easier to be that to another? ahhhh now, you see the joy of letting go, shedding the armor. O’ what beauty the field that lies beyond.

Before we can even reflect or ask ourselves such troubling questions, we must first see the faces.