Materials & Techniques   

I use several methods to form my masks. My favorite is to sculpt over a hump (a built-up surface). I form each piece with earthenware clay and then carve it back to bring out and define the details. Sometimes I will make a mold of one of these pieces. I use the molds as starting points for new masks: either pressing soft clay into them or slipcasting. Each mask is then altered and further sculpted to become a unique piece. When the masks are completely dry - from 2 days to 3 weeks - I paint them with underglazes and fire them to cone 04. Some pieces are painted with other glazes and fired again. When all firing is completed, I use colored gessoes, acrylics and Prismacolor pencils to define the features. One to four coats of varnish are then applied. At this point, many pieces get some type of "mixed media" addition: I like to make "hair" out of my own hand-painted silk cords or bits of wire or leather. Lately, I've been having fun using driftwood and river stones and I sculpt many small clay parts to help each mask tell its story.