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Back Up Your Face body of work juxtaposes the realism of portraiture with an imaginative continuation of the subject's personality. Using the plaster mold technique, I acquire a precise facial replica of a person I know. This mold holds the unique individualism that cannot be captured through the subjective mediums of drawing or traditional sculpture. Using the mold as a foundation for the portrait, I depict the essence of the person through an evolving language of symbols. The project relies on a dynamic interaction between artist and subject during the creation of the mask. Symbols surface from the stories and impressions given to me by the model. These can take the form of animals like foxes, fish and birds, as well as objects like musical instruments and parchment scrolls. I add these symbolic continuations of their personality to the mask, creating an animistic portrait which reveals an inner nature connected to the living planet.