Happy Birthday
The classic birthday cake of my childhood was always homemade in a silver pan. There were no exceptions: it had to be chocolate with chocolate glaze, completely covered in sprinkles and silver dragees. I absolutely loved those little silver balls. I knew they were waiting for me at the next birthday - if not mine, then at a classmate’s or a neighborhood friend’s, because everyone, at every kid’s birthday party, received that very same cake. Sometimes, if you were especially lucky, your mom would make it just for fun.
In this art piece, I decided to revisit my 5th birthday in 1979, inspired by a photo taken of me on my special day in kindergarten. That year, I found a crystal ring in a random neighborhood playground sandbox and discovered how it acted as a prism. Those dancing rainbow refractions were pure bliss; they made me genuinely, radiantly happy. I’m wearing this ring in the photo, and I think my love of rainbows may have something to do with it. I vividly remember the typical birthday games: musical chairs, broken telephone, and Pass the Parcel. Later on, in 4th grade, slow dancing was introduced, along with spinning the bottle for "7 minutes in heaven."
To re-celebrate my 5-year-old self, I made my classic, old-fashioned cake and decorated it by recreating those beloved sprinkles and dragees by hand from acrylic and polymer clay. I ordered original vintage candle holders off eBay for this piece and encased it in a silver pan made of paper clay. My portrait was painted in three layers over separate resin layers to create a 3D effect. The 5-year-old that still lives inside of me was ecstatic to receive this gift of love and acknowledgment of her existence.
Artwork Specifications
Title: Happy Birthday
Completed: April 4, 2026
Dimensions: 10 x 10 inches
Foundation: Wood panel and foam-core
Mediums: Acrylic, wax, crystal and found objects
Sculptural Elements: Paper clay, polymer clay
Finishing Touches: Gold leaf and resin
Me on my 5th birthday at my kindergarten playground
