Secret Messages

by Liz of Lush Beads

Art has many layers. The colors, the subject, the texture, the way it was created, and so many more. One of my favorites is the idea of a "secret message". It could be something as simple as a symbol that appears in every piece that a particular artist creates. It might be an in-joke that only a select few will understand. Or it could be something obvious that people don't notice right away, like words on a page.

Jessica Burko of Reclaimed To You shared with me some work she has done that includes secret messages.

Jessica says:

I have a series of altered books, called 'Love Story' that feature pages from romance novels...each piece uses select pages from vintage romance novels as the backdrop for transferred photographs of suburban houses. The narrative of each piece focuses on imagining 1950's housewives losing themselves in the pages of the novels and being swept up into the landscape of the imagined romance. To feel the full impact of each piece the viewer needs to really look closely, and read the words laid out on the canvas.

I have also created some work that involves a secret message. It is called the Secret Message necklace, and it is part of my Industrial series of jewelry that I started last year.

My first necklace is titled Love. I use pieces of hardware to represent dots and dashes, and I spell out words using Morse code. To the casual observer, the piece looks like an asymmetric and funky design. To the receiver, it also has a cherished message from a loved one.

Does your work hold any secret messages? I'd love to hear your story!