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)

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.

Flights of Fancy

Often I feel that there is not enough whimsy in my life. It is then that I create a piece such as this: pure fantasy - or fancy and for a moment, I can rise above some of the mundane. I consider myself lucky to have this ability and it pleases me to share it......

The size of this small mask is 2 5/8" high by 1 7/8" wide and there is a tube affixed to the back for hanging. I just finished the piece this week and it was added to my etsy shop.
http://unmasked.etsy.com

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......

Animal Instincts

I'm baaaack! It's been a busy two weeks with the ACC San Francisco show and some delightful after show visitors. I'm just now catching my breath and ready to get back to more regular posting! Today's mask is based on a piece that I made a few years ago. This version is smaller than the original....and that is a trend in my studio right now. I've been making some smaller (more affordable) works in the hope that they might be a bit easier on the pocketbook. I'm still making the larger masks, but I find myself spending more and more time on each piece. I was able to finish a few for this last show and I'll be revealing them soon.

This little mask (7" high x 3 1/2" wide) is yet another tribute to the animal kingdom of which I consider myself a part.......

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.....

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.....

Curiouser and Curiouser...

Yesterday's mask got me thinking about today's: it seemed like a natural follow-up. I do find myself thinking of things in a thematic way these days, most likely in an attempt to organise my mental closet. In any case, as Alice says: life is "curiouser and curiouser" and I've decided to give up trying to figure out what the meaning is. Seems to me we should just get on with enjoying the ride.....

Feed Your Head

Remember.....what the Doormouse said! Some of you will remember this as the reverberating last words from a favorite old song (circa 1968, The Jefferson Airplane on Surrealistic Pillow - for those of you scratching your heads). It's one of those stanzas that will play back many times in my head, and it did just that recently. Time to bring out this mask for another look and a reminder that nourishing the mind is as important as nourishing the body!

I've been out of town for the past few days and haven't been able to work on the blog. I'll be home till Friday morning when I'll head out again - this time to Palo Alto for the ACGA show at the Art Center. If anyone's in the area, please stop by on Saturday or Sunday and say Hello.....

A Change of Heart

I was going to post another altered photo today but I had a "change of heart" and decided to let this mask out for an airing. I created this piece a couple years ago - and I still have it. For some reason, the times I've shown the mask, it has gotten very little attention (even with the moving, changeable doors which everyone usually loves). Perhaps the message is just too obvious! Anyway, until she connects with the right home, I get to enjoy her in mine.....

Foolhardy

Yet another Fool - but this fool is ready for anything! If one is willing or unable to prevent playing the fool, there must be some type of protection from the consequences. Here I've chosen armor as the device and it's nailed on good and tight so that this Fool can bumble along at will. Whether our protective coverings are real or metaphoric, they play an important role in shielding us from lifes' unpleasantries....

Free Falling

This little mask is on a journey much like my own. I feel sometimes as if life is very much a free falling adventure with little to grab onto to slow the descent. And then too, a wind can come up and change my course - or a bird could capture and carry me away. So many possibilities and yet, so little control. I wonder if we're all free falling and colliding with each other as the winds play.....

Brainstorm

Is this how a "brainstorm" would look? Well, for me it's one possibility - and my work is all about possibilities and what ifs. In my quest to personify ideas, the results are sometimes a bit strange and even a little foreboding. I do enjoy hinting at (or poking fun at) some of life's mysteries.

This piece was made early in 2000 when my brain was working overtime. Its size is approximately 9" high by 4" wide and I have no idea where it now resides......

A Different Perspective

Sometimes the simplest pieces are the most effective at delivering their messages: I feel this mask falls into that category. With its skewed angle and shrinking grid it seems so obvious....but is it really? Beyond the obvious is the question (yeah, always with the questions!) why is a different perspective necessary or even desirable? I'll leave that for you to answer - or not....

The size of this stoneware mask (2002) is about 7" high by 5" wide and she's hanging around somewhere on an unknown wall......

A Gathering of Old Friends....

Here is a grouping to illustrate what I was talking about in my last post. All of the sculptures are wearing masks - except for the "Open Heart". The masks can be removed to reveal the face underneath. I play around with these and put different masks on the sculptures: there are always so many possibilities within my own creative sensibility that I have a difficult time putting limitations on it.....