One of my favorite artists of all time is Frida Kahlo, a woman who persevered despite her tumultuous life of physical and emotional pain. For Halloween one year I decided to create a dual themed costume, Frida Kahlo and a Day of the Dead skeleton. With the mask off, I was Frida with her trademark uni-brow and piercing eyes. My 2-year old, Ada, was little Frida and I managed to get her to hold still for a second to snap the picture.

This costume was the culmination of hours of painting and gathering various clothing elements. The mask is a simple masquerade mask which I painted with acrylic paint. The flower crown was assembled using fake flowers and painted skulls. Of course I couldn’t just leave it at that, I had to take photos and do some touchups in Photoshop to get the rich colors and smooth complexion on my face (I’d like to claim that my skin is as smooth and even as it looks in the photo).