McCarthy’s inflatable’s brought to mind an inflatable sex doll. It would be quite unorthodox for me to put something so obviously sexual in my art works.

I was feeling that such a doll would be used to project ones fantasies on.

Regarding inflatable items, there is a comical reaction that such an item brings out in us, that is interesting. I remember being given a rather large inflatable hammer (on a birthday), and I bopped strangers on the head with it, as I walked down the Kings Road in London, with friends, in fancy dress (after having had a few Vodkas).  The strangers all reacted well. I remember someone said that the only thing you can hit someone over the head with and get away with is a balloon.

Instinctively I would like to put ‘Modrock’ around a blow up doll to give it a more pleasing sculptural look to it.

I thought of putting masks on it. Making paintings of faces. But I would like to project

This has the developed into blending my own face with iconic figures from my life. Not figures I admire or like or believe in. But very iconic images of Good, Evil, Saintly, Religious, Powerful or Attractive.

Showing how identity and ones owns stories, is made from the narrative of these iconic images.

Iconic images being the linchpin to our shared mass identity, regardless of our liking and disliking of those icons.

These images I will project onto blank canvas of the dolls face.

The initial images that came where God, Jesus, Mother Theresa. Gandhi, Hitler. Donald Trump, Nelson Mandela. Marylyn Monroe and Buddha. All being huge global icons.

Balloons descend as Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and former US president Bill Clinton celebrate on the fourth and final night of the Democratic National Convention at Wells Fargo Center on July 28, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. / AFP / SAUL LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

I will be focusing on how an iconic fictional character such as Venus, becomes an idea, in which a man or a women can manipulate the icon to suit their own ideas and needs. A fantasy figure, a projection, which can be created to fulfil or quantify the viewer in whichever way it suits them.

In ancient times Venus was portrayed as having voluptuous curves. A sexually potent goddess, of fertility, carved into stones, sometimes with a penis like head. Which reminded me of sexual obsession that Picasso had with his lovers, and the way he painted ‘Le verve’ (the dream) with his lovers penis shaped head. The ancient Greeks told myths of her kind and cruel nature. She had lovers, and a husband, she would curse and avenge those that upset her. She also had many tragedies and punishments placed upon her.

Fast forward to the Renaissance she was virginal and pure. Still a temptress she would be painted naked. Placed in galleries to be gawped at. The ‘Rokeby Venus’ painted by Sandro Botticelli was a typical nude of the time.

Renaissance female nudes were very beautiful and naked. Often holding a mirror to implying that they were vain. This showed that they were to blame for man’s desires.

These days the Goddess has been claimed in a kind of New Age way. Representing a divine feminine.  Sexually powerful in her own right. Unashamed of herself. Which is very apt in an age of empowering story lines for women.

But ultimately there never was a real Venus or Aphrodite. For me it’s the same with God or any iconic images and storyline.

Over the years of being on Facebook I seemed to have acquired the skill of being able to take the typical flattering selfie. By holding the phone from a high angle, with good lighting, there is a certain generic look that can be captured. Regardless of what face shape you have, you can make your face heart shaped, eyes appear larger and skin flawless. This can also be enhanced by filters.  I have seen enough profile pictures of people, to see, that this technique is widely used. These days seems to be acceptable to show pictures that enhance the self image.

Knowing one can achieve this generic image of your self can be quite liberating, as it destroys the illusion that models and movie stars are perfect.

So many people have pictures like this it, for me it has become uninteresting. As have the projections of a perfect life that many post.A girl I went to school with was posting pictures of her high life, drinking champagne in exotic venues with her fabulous boyfriend. When I saw her, I commented that she seemed to be having a fantastic time. She admitted that atually she had been having a dull and boring time and it was just a façade.

 I posted two photos on Facebook, the generic selfie photo, and a photo I had taken later in the car. Both had shares saying “Hello” above them.

The responses and likes were similar on both posts. There were slightly more likes on the second less flattering photo 27 to 33 likes. Though I did get twice as many comments, all pleasant. I started to get a sense that even though the second photo is not as flattering as the first, it may present a communication to the viewer, in terms of facial expression.

The first photo has little expression except for the smile. There is nothing being given away. It makes me think of people getting botox and leaving themselves expressionless. A wrinkle free face appeals to my inner vanity.

I perform an improvised show in front of an audience regularly, but I wonder how it would look, not to be able to pull faces that make acted characters interesting.