Jan Sneesby Aaron
"Myanmar Sun Screen"
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| (Photos by Patrick Fraser) |
Recently, my husband and I had an amazing adventure in Myanmar. We drank champagne in a brightly painted sampan while watching the sun sink below the famed U Bein teak bridge. We saw new gold leaf gleaming on the Shwezigon Pagoda. A 200lb brightly decorated elephant “puppet” performed for us. Everywhere there were interesting visual stimuli.
It was the gold and white of Myanmar pagodas that kept haunting me. I could not get over the amount of gold leaf on their religious icons. Thus, I used that as my color palette. The design elements were made by cropping, enlarging and repurposing imagery from my photographs.
Naming my work did not prove quite as easy. It was taking another look at my pictures that led to my AH-ha moment. SUN! There she was--a little village girl holding a parasol as protection from sun. Burmese women commonly adorn themselves with a “thanaka” paste made from a native tree that acts as a sun screen. In my mind, “Myanmar “Sun Screen”” said it--a parasol to carry on bright sunny days. Plus, it honors a people dedicated to their faith and the sacrifices made to keep their temples beautiful.
But a word to the wise: Do not use in the rain. It won’t keep you dry!