Three Inspirational Masks
Native American Mask:
http://www.hickerphoto.com/photos/native-american-masks.htm
This is a mask of an owl made by Wally Bernard on Northern
Vancouver Island. This mask is to
represent a wise one and is a messenger.
It’s base is made of red cedar.
Looking at this mask I see a loose representation of an owl. The hair on top is more reminiscent of human
hair. The eyes are larger than would be
expected on an owl also. The colors all
seem to blend well with the dark green and red offset by the tan. The bright yellow of the nose really makes the
nose prominent with the white of the eyes right behind it leading the viewer to
look at the eyes next. Other than the
hair on top of the head the left and right of the mask is symmetrical.
African Mask:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/436567757601235838/
This is a mask created by the Dan tribe from the Ivory
Coast. I picked this one because it is
older. There is no color to it, and
overall looks pretty plain. What is
great about it is that it looks like a bird with the crazy eyes and the beak
right down to the nostrils on the beak. The
placement of the eyes and beak are very close to scale of an actual bird
also. The lines of the mouth run from
the back and arch down to the point of the beak. The beak is also strapped in with leather
which makes it seem like it’s beaked opened and closed further simulating the
bird.
Hindu Mask:
This Gurulu mask is from Sri Lanka. This mask represents a bird eating a
snake. This mask, in Sri Lanka, is
supposed to bring a home good luck and protection. This mask is beautifully ornate and it’s use
of colors makes a strong representation.
The great size of the mask gives the artist a large field to work
with. The red beak protrudes from the
front at the bottom does not stand out like the other two masks. The eyes do stand out, not because of color
or size, but because they are so human like.
Much like the Mandala’s, this mask utilizes patterns that are symmetrical
to each side of the mask in both shape, line and color.
My Mask Sketch
My Mask
Going through all of the webpages looking at masks I was most attracted to the ones depicting birds. I have always liked birds, especially birds that have many colors on them, like a peacock. Even birds like cardinals and blue jays whose color make them stand out are beautiful. Parrots and small house pet types of birds are more examples. Based on all of this I changed my focus to look at only bird masks. After the research and analysis I decided to bake a bird mask. My goal was aimed at color. Since birds are never the same I did not want it to be symmetrical. I wanted it to be multiple colors so I used strips of colored paper to simulate the colored feathers. I also wanted the beak to stand out as a color not anywhere else on the mask and for it to be large enough to be pronounced with a straight line coming right towards the front. Overall I think the mask came out well. I do wish I would have put a little more effort into the eyes, looking at it now the eyes are quite unremarkable.
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