Moth: tableau and materials

The mask has been worked on slightly to include further modelling of eyes and lips.

Some of the Moths have had slight additions, though they are waiting to fully dry before they recieve the main trasformative element- the addition of antennae, which will be made from the materials seen below:



This tableau ia about 60 cm across: I shall gradually work on additional elements so the final tableau is about 1.5 metres in length.

Birds and mask: "gesso" experimentation

I'm experimenting with a mixture of P.V.A. glue, water and Plaster of Paris, which is similar to traditional gesso.

The more water in the mix, the more liquid the paste and the longer it takes to dry. Using just glue and plater makes the mix thick and makes it dry extremely fast.



When this "gesso" dries it is slighly malleable, and can be sanded quite happily, leaving quite a smooth surface.

Strips of paper can be dipped in this "gesso" and used like bandages, to help sculpt the piece.



There is something strange about these pieces that is lost with painting.

Covering the wire: notes

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Notes

-The skin of the mask is not smooth enough. Plaster of paris does not work as a filler because it is too brittle, and papier mache cannot be sanded. I think the best thing is to continue to add layers of very thin paper so the ridges formed by their edges isn't too great

-There must be a product that is like a sort of thick cream which can be used in these circumstances, to provide a smooth surface to craft items, but what exactly I don't know. It can be quite messy experimenting with these things, but perhaps pva mixed with plaster?

-I shall also add eyelids and better the nostrils.

-A possibility I didn't explore is to use cloth- muslin, I guess, over the wire.

-The wire I used is too thick, so that large "knots" are created when wires are joined.

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It's very enjoyable seeing the "personality" emerging from the mask. At what point is the thing finished?: the suggestive roughness of the mask in its current state is evocative.

Wire faces, masks; toys and art; labels

Earlier

Later

It is quite hard work shaping his copper wire to form an armature, which will be the basis of a mask: the wire ends are sharp and can cut your fingers wickedly. I think these armatures need a bit more tweaking, especially around the moth.

It is also quite hard to work the wire in three dimensions to make a good face shape. I think perhaps using wire netting might have been an easier option.

I find with these craft pieces that often in their earlier stages they are more striking, weirder, and as they progress they become less suggestive and more like mere toys. I intend this mask to be quite realistic. I think the more realistic masks are, the creepier.

What is the difference between a toy and a work of art? I suppose a toy is necessarily restricted in intention, while that of an artwork is diffuse, though its purposes are first of all aesthetic.

I love the interactivity of masks; they cross and confuse the boundaries between toy and artwork, between serious and silly like nothing else I can think of.

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