While I remember, I snapped pictures of another two of my masks before I took them to a little art show the other week. I was afraid they'd be ruined (they weren't, by the way), what with all the people poking at them... and wanted to keep something of them at least.

I feel I'm really getting the hang of the mask-making, and above all, developing an eye for things I can use for them... everything from little necklaces I've had since I was a kid to cheap brooches and crap I find downtown. My friends and I joke about my 'butchering' jewellery to make new things. It's fascinating how a piece I've had since I was a kid can fit together with something I found at an antique shop the other week along with something I bought cheap downtown. It's fast becoming an expensive habit, though... the papier mache is cheap, but the feathers are REALLY expensive... and some of the masks, like the dark gold one here, are pricey enough that it would never be a viable option to sell them. Not that I want to sell them, but I keep getting offers and I feel almost guilty turning people down. As is, there's only one of each and I can't remake them because a lot of the jewellery is unique and besides, when you do things by hand like this it's impossible to replicate... I've given a few away to people that matter to me, and I feel awful about even that. You get spoiled with digital art, with there being no original. I don't want to sell my originals. It feels like cutting little pieces of me away. Silly, I know.



This one along with the green one I showed earlier was the biggest hit without doubt. I personally find this one the prettiest one I've made so far. It took almost two days to finish, gluing all the feathers individually and cutting pieces of jewellery up. There's a plume of feathers going up that doesn't show properly in any of the images I snapped of it, which is a pity. It's quite striking.



This one I like because it's bold and the nose is cute and uppity. It's not as grand and big as the green or gold one, but has a charm of its own. Quite wearable, too, nowhere near as heavy as some of the others.

I wish people hadn't complained about me painting too many masks, last time I painted one... I feel I want to paint more of them, they're almost as fun to paint as they are to make by hand. Besides, masks symbolise a lot for me and I find I adore their mystery, hiding some parts and accentuating others. I find it fascinating how wearing a mask can transform an entire face, making a mouth look much crueller because of the shape of the beak, or turning the eyes soft or hard. Anyway... I'll contemplate masks a while longer... sneezing and coughing (I've got a terrible cold) and trying to fall asleep. Meanwhile, keep an eye out for me in ImagineFX.

Hugs and kisses,
L.