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.....

Open Hearts

I was pleased to find that I still had photos of these small sculptures since I thought they had been lost in a computer crash. I made them circa 2000 and they were the first sculptures that I meant to be stand alone pieces. Previous small sculptures had been created as stands to display the masks......and a number of people commented that it was a shame to cover them up! So began my journey with freestanding pieces. I love making them but it's difficult to find places for them in my small studio: walls are so much easier! That said, I'm having more and more ideas for new ones and have a few in the works......

These particular pieces are each around 10" high and were made of earthenware clay.

With A Little Help From My Friends....

This mask made its debut in November of 2005 and it's one of those pieces I still happen to have: probably because it's a mask that is just too personal for others to relate to. It's always interesting to me observing the public and how different masks attract different types of people. I never know which pieces will find their way into new homes or why they were chosen over others.........although, sometimes I'm given a bit more information than I would like!

I don't make work with the idea that it must be pleasing to others, or sell-able but to release ideas that are trapped in my mind. However, it pleases me greatly when I am able to connect some of my ideas with those who share them.....

Are We Having Fun Yet?

I've been having fun - going through photos of masks past. This one is from 2002 and seemed a good fit for a Friday that's arrived on the heels of summer. I used to do a lot more harlequins, and I still do make a few small ones, but they just aren't as interesting to me anymore. That is probably because I've done just about all I can do with them (for now). At the moment, and for quite some time, nature, nurture and dreams have taken center stage.....

Half Empty or Half Full?

How we look at things really does matter: it can make the difference between feeling good or bad, ascending or descending, too much or not enough and on and on and on. When I look around and see my life as half full, there is hope. In those darker moments, when I see it as half empty, I question my very existence. At this point, the choice becomes clear: half full is enough...

I pierced this mask all over to imply leakage - and this in turn implies that one starts out full.

Bored Game

The older I get, the less time I have for games. This mask is a manifestation of my lack of tolerance and a not so subtle statement about the nature of games. I know that we're programmed early on to be participants, but there comes a moment when you or I must say: Enough, already! I've reached that point and now must decide how to live the rest of my life.....