Cyndi Hardy's radiation mask art is dedicated to her mom, who died from ovarian cancer. "I created the mask so that I could tell the story of my mum while spreading awareness about ovarian cancer," she tells Popsugar. "It was a little nerve wracking since I only had one shot at it, but it was also calming at the same time. When I finished it, it felt like I had accomplished the most meaningful art piece of my life." Hardy fashioned a base out of plaster cloth, shaping the face using joint compound, and adding color with acrylic paint.
When the piece was originally displayed, Hardy wrote, "Her favorite place was the ocean, so I painted the mask in an ocean theme with the sand and waves at the bottom and deeper blue at the top." Personal touches like earrings, lilacs, and a crochet headband helped the mask feel more like Hardy's mom. "The butterflies represent the constant changing and evolving in her life," Hardy says. "The hummingbirds show that she now flies with the hummingbirds."
