"Ceremony of Fans" is a painting that was created for a larger show called The Art of Masquerade which LEX put on in late 2004. The painting was based off of performances which LEX acted out in front of video cameras. Moments of her performance would be selected and incorporated into the paintings. The painting explores ceremony and ritual in nonwestern cultures. Often a shaman or medium to a spirit world would go into a trance : speaking, moving ,and acting for the spirit. Several cultures such as ones found in Africa and Japan find it necessary to dress in costume and participate in dance during divination ceremonies. I wanted to create an alluring, dark, and other worldly feel in this painting. I weaving together photo-realism and patterning I hope to create a unique visual experience and hope to pull the viewer into the ceremony. This painting is still in my collection and is for sale.