I tend to jump a fair bit between scale. After a while making smaller pieces, I get the urge to make a bigger, more complex piece. I’d had the idea for a big wall-hung mask floating around for a while and was time to make it happen!

While I’d been making smaller masks, I’d been turning the idea around in my head, imagining the technicalities of joining things together and how big I could get with it still holding its shape. I thought to make the mask shape first and then add the extensions.

I knew I’d be using a lot of wire for the extensions, and as there will be a tendency for the wire to droop with the weight of the clay, I thought to join some of the wires together to minimize this. The air-dry clay is pretty light, but the amount I’ll be using will add a bit of weight.

I must say, the middle of a cold Dunedin winter, is a great time to get a lot of work done! Not too many outside distractions pulling me away. I tend to do it all on the kitchen bench, nice and warm, good space and light. Maybe also a hangover from my thrifty Scottish ancestors, in only heating the main living area of the house!

I decided to make the extensions in a circular shape attached to the mask at the front, then work outwards with the clay, creating leaves and flowers.

The wire extensions attached to the front of the mask.

I very much enjoy the texture of the air-dry clay, and unpainted, the snowy white has its own appeal! This stage is fairly time-consuming though, and I was glad to finally reach the end.

Once I had finished waiting impatiently for it to dry, I began the next time-consuming process of painting, beginning with the base coat! It’s amazing how many nooks and crannies hide in these things, I think it’s finished, look it at on another angle to discover yet more unpainted (and repeat again and again). I listen to podcasts, and You Tube while I’m working, I figure I can multi-task and train the brain at the same time. Favorite at the moment is Carolyn Myss (spirituality and mysticism), I’ve read her books years ago and was stoked to find her stuff online a while back.

Not feeling especially wise or spiritual yet but I’m sure its accumulating in the deep recesses of my brain.

I had a bit of fun videoing snippets of the process and editing into short clips.

There are 5 stages to these larger pieces, the structural stuff (where a lot of the thinking happens), the clay, underpainting, topcoats and finishing. At each stage I’m visualizing the finished piece, hazy at first and at each stage the choices I make change and sharpen that picture in my head. It’s that process I find so engaging, I’m exploring the idea while working on it.

It’s really taking shape when I get to the topcoats and I start to get excited to get to the end.

After the topcoat, time for some pearls and sparkles, and a bit of gluing fingers together. Super glue can be tricky!

Studying it up on the wall, I made a few alterations to the main face to help it fit better with the extensions, and I’m using a bit of interference paint which adds a nice subtle sheen. I had it up for a few days making small adjustments until I was happy, Max seemed pretty happy with it too, although it could have been the cozy spot underneath the heat pump.

This one sparked a few ideas for another big one and I may yet put some padding and fixings on the back and work out a way it could be worn.

I’ve got a few hazy ideas about taking photos with someone wearing it in interesting locations, though I’ve a feeling that would lead to a whole-body costume. Food for thought though….

A big mask

A red necklace