Birdbrain

It is known that birds have tiny little brains - but isn't that because they have tiny little heads? I'll wager that they are no dumber or smarter than any other critter. I'll go even further to suggest that they are pretty smart to keep their distance from most humans.....

In keeping with her name, Birdbrain is very small: 2 1/2" high x 1 3/4" wide. There is a tube affixed to the back for hanging as a pendant or anywhere else. FYI, this piece is #444 in my glaze tests - I seem to be making myself crazy with these little guys! Of course, this number is on the back of the mask, along with my signature.

Traveling Companions

It's always nice to have a friend to travel with - even on a short journey. These two will always be together no matter where they touch down....

The size of this small mask is 3 1/4" high x 2 1/2" wide and there are tubes affixed to the backs of each leaf to facilitate hanging. This piece is a bit unusual since it's a bit deeper than most of my glaze tests. The sides of each face "butterfly" upwards.

See No Evil

Don't you wish it was so easy not to see some things? I made this small mask with the idea in mind of a sort of mental blindfold: one that would screen out the unpleasantries. I've got mine near at hand just in case....

Karma

Whether you choose to believe in a force such as Karma or not, doing good turns and being a good person is its own reward. I like the idea of Karma being circular and part of a continuing story that we all have roles in. Some say that what goes around comes around and I believe it.....

Soul Searching....

I've done a lot of this lately (soul searching, that is) and it seems that no matter how hard I search, it's hard to find! I feel as if I've just been flinging my arms about - doing a little of this and a little of that and (to my mind) a whole lot of nothing. Perhaps I'm stuck, perhaps I'm coming unglued, but I'll keep on searching that soul till something makes sense.....

You Can't Judge a Book....

There are so many clever covers, but it's what's inside that counts - or so the sage voices say! This little mask isn't fooling anyone with its angelic exterior, for it's easy to see what is underneath. Would that all disguises were so easy to detect....

This pendant is a reminder that things aren't always what they seem! The size is 2 3/4" high by 2 1/4" wide and there is a tube affixed to the back for hanging.

Free Falling - a visual journey....

I've got Autumnal changes on my mind! Thought I'd share the transformational journey of just one leaf.....

Hiding Among the Fallen

I'm not exactly sure what I mean with this recently finished mask: chalk it up to my own frailties and insecurities. Hiding seems to be the central theme behind my work (at least as I see it) and I've spent a lot of time interpreting this theme in as many ways as possible. And, I'm not finished yet...

Currently, I feel as if I'm on auto pilot - plugging away in the studio and "Birdgirl" is emerging wishing for an out. I definitely have "got the urge for going" and I'll have to let it go...... (for now)

The Offering - revisited

I just sent this piece (Offering) out, so as usual, I worked on a photo print to send along. This isn't the print I ended up sending....but it was the one I liked the best. For some reason, it seemed a little too "dark" to include with the actual piece (which is a more hopeful and lighthearted mask). I posted the original mask two entries ago so you can see what I'm talking about.
Often times, I feel I must tone down my dark side so as not to scare everyone away. But I admit to appreciating both sides of the coin.......

Outside the Box

Thinking outside the box can lead to many things! I believe that most creative sorts use this kind of thinking to great benefit, but there can be dangers - as evidenced by this little piece. Is there such a thing as TOO creative???

Yet another glaze test from my Etsy shop: I've been a bit lazy with posting some of the bigger masks, but I promise that there will be more to come (and soon). The size of this raku mask is 2 3/4" high x 2" wide and there is a tube affixed to the back for hanging as a pendant or anywhere a creative reminder is needed.....

Offering

My little Birdgirl would like to offer a twig for your nest. We all need building material and whether it's for a nest or something more substantial, it's the thought that counts (or so she tells me anyway)! This is another recent addition to my Etsy shop and for lack of another bigger piece to show, I've decided to share some of my glaze tests with you.

The size of the mask is 2 3/4" high by 2 3/8" wide and there is a tube affixed to the back for hanging as a pendant.

Surfacing

This mask was finished just in time for the last show and it's a fairly accurate representation of my state of mind for the past month or two. The Winter and Spring (as some of you may have guessed) were a difficult period for me, but Summer brought a new and improved outlook. And so, "Surfacing" was born. I have imagined myself emerging from the deep - fully clothed and swimming cap intact - hopeful and yet pensive and wondering: What next?.......

The size of the mask is approximately 14" high x 6 1/2" wide and is sculpted from stoneware. I had originally planned a raku finish, but the piece dictated otherwise!

Daydream in the Treehouse

Here, I've combined two of my favorite themes: dreams and houses. It seems that my themes are evolving - so much so that I wonder about the beginnings of an idea and why it must be forever changing! Perhaps, like a dream, there is no telling which way it will go. There is no such thing as control.

The occupants of my treehouse are not that different from each other and yet each is an individual with a task to perform. I enjoy giving my dream subjects some responsibilities when I'm awake so that I can lie back and enjoy the view......

Not Far From the Tree print

I've been too busy to spend time in my archives searching for photos to post, so I'm again showing a print. This one is from an old small mask that I made and which someone recently asked me to revisit. I didn't make a new ceramic piece (although I might in the future) but decided to play with the image instead. I hope you will enjoy the results as much as I enjoyed creating it......

Moving Right Along

Here is yet another piece from my "Shigaraki" period. Looking back, I see that all of the masks I made there represent some form of change or movement and this one is a perfect example. Even now, in my raku frenzy, I'm still working with stoneware and stretching its limits as far as I can. The big challenge now is to fire it to near vitrification (for strength) and then use low fire treatments and a final raku firing. Some ceramists have told me that this couldn't be done - but, where there's a will.......

Self Analysis

This is a mask heavily influenced by a painting: "A Visit to the Psychoanalyst" by Remedios Varo (one of my faves). I rarely make a piece so directly linked to another's work - but this one just had to be!

I'd like to believe that self analysis is the key to understanding oneself, but it seems that the more doors are opened, the longer the hallway becomes (and this piece was made in 2001)! I'm not ashamed to admit that a visit (or two or three) to the psychoanalyst has become necessary, but I am a bit embarrassed that I put it off as long as I did....

A Wing and a Prayer

This mask came to be as a result of my uncertainties about changes in my processes and materials. While at the Institute of Ceramic Studies in Shigaraki, Japan in 2003, I was truly at the mercy of the Fire Gods! Besides using a much higher firing clay, I also had to adjust my glazes to fit. As a result, I spent a lot of time holding my breath and crossing my fingers. It was during this period that "A Wing and a Prayer" was born.

I learned a lot during my residency (about clay AND about myself) and discovered that I thrive on uncertainties! Perhaps all that breath holding affected me.....

Life Support

This piece was conceived and made at the same time as the previously shown "Heart Attack" and further illustrates how I work within a theme. All the work I'm currently doing is in this same framework: lots of ongoing themes that sometimes mutate into new themes. For me, creativity is an evolutionary concept and, by its nature, never static.

"Life Support" is another one of those masks that I wish I'd written a few notes about when I made it! Without a doubt, I had hearts on the brain - but the motivation has escaped me.....

A Heart Attack

I love words - and plays on words, and this piece is clear evidence of that! Most times it is somewhat challenging to get an idea across using only a face, but this mask was almost too easy. Of course, this heart attack is not of the medical emergency sort: I'd like to think that we can be overcome by whimsy and heartfelt delight at any moment.

I made this mask circa 1999 and I still think about it occasionally......

I Dreamed I Could Fly

Here's a mask that I finished just in time for the show last weekend. I've always had flying dreams, but never quite enough of them to suit me: there is nothing quite like the feeling of elation at lift off or the idea that anything is possible. And that is why I gave the piece an expression of apprehension. I chose to depict it in that way to show that the dreamer knows she must awaken and is not quite ready for that to happen. I guess what I'm trying to say is that all good things must end but there will be other nights and new dreams.....