Matteo Rapaglia's profile

Daisy de Melker - South African killer

This project is based on the South African serial killer, Daisy de Melker.
 
She was found guilty for the murder of Rhodes Cecil Cowle, her only son, age 20 at the time. He was poisoned arsenic.
 
I chose to portray her as a marionette puppet to depict her as being out of control and controlled by something else. This ‘something else’ represents INFLUENCE. ‘Influence is power’ is the real message behind this artwork. Only after I conducted the proper research on her past was I able to realize that she came from a tortured background or childhood. She was sexually abused on countless occasions. This is why I believe she became the murderer that she is remembered to be.
 
She was the second woman to be hung in South Africa in 30 December 1932. She was 46 years old.
 
The end product is a mixed media artwork (A1) on a wooden board. I used Photoshop to draw the images. I then printed them on an A1 glossy sheet of paper in order to then add the color, as well as details, by hand. The tools I used to do accomplish this were paint markers (by Molotow) and an airbrush.
 
Final print (above)
Printed on gloss paper
Size-A1
Final Artwork (above)  - By Matteo Rapaglia
 
Daisy de Melker - South African killer
Published:

Daisy de Melker - South African killer

This project is based on the South African serial killer, Daisy de Melker. She was found guilty for the murder of Rhodes Cecil Cowle, her only s Read More

Published: