Inside the Mirror

When I was young, I had a compulsion to find out how things worked.  This usually led to creative destruction.  I know exactly how a music box works because I dismantled my jewelry box, tossing out the painted paste board, velveteen lining and plastic ballerina. 

The important part was inside.  I loved the little brass machine that wound with a key.  I loved to listen to the metallic plinks as the metal keys were forced upon the raised nodules of the rotating barrel.  I cherished the simple elegance hidden for years by the bulky form of the jewelry box.  It was liberating.      

But my deconstruction did not stop with the music box.  I also wanted to see inside a mirror.  Mirrors were amazing things that created a world in reverse. One day I ripped the brown paper backing off of my mirror.  Then I scraped at the black paint on the back of the glass.  My scraping revealed a silver expanse.  I scraped at that layer and reached clear transparent glass.  

I was disappointed.  I could not see inside the mirror.  I could not see that most amazing space between the darkness and the glass.  I knew that was where the magic happened.  I knew another world lived inside the glass. 

Have you met Melinda Watman?  She knows it feels to be between worlds and stuck within the looking glass.



This is her jacket "Inside the Mirror."  

In this painting there are two Melinda's.  There is the Melinda buried within folds of flesh and the Melinda that lived inside the looking glass.  Inside the darkened glass a thin healthy Melinda waited.  She waited to get out.  She waited for the year to pass and the time to come when the worlds would reverse.  

Melinda spent years trying unsuccessfully to reach her goal weight.  She then began to research bariatric surgery.  She had a background in nursing, but she wanted to be aware of all the ramifications of her decision. She dove into social media and discussed her options on chat boards.  During her research she was amazed that there were few unbiased sites that would discuss the pros and cons of surgery.



Melinda is now the woman who once was tapped within the glass.  Her body is lean and healthy, as is her mind.  She has since founded a company called BSCG (Bariatric Surgery Consulting Group.)   She hopes to help others come to a decision about what is the right choice for them.  

Welcome to the Gallery Melinda.