Two Fish, One Mask.

[merimask]

Oh wow...I love this mask.  It started as a sketch I did in Japan.  I was sitting in the theater watching rehearsals all day & I was bored (hard to imagine that, now!) so I did a little doodle of two fighting fish (bettas) in a cheap sketchpad I had brought with me.   It's been sitting on my desk for months.  I kept looking at it, thinking it had a lot of potential as a mask but just not quite seeing it.

The swan I made over the weekend, with its spray of wing feathers, totally inspired me to give it a try.   It fell out of my head right onto a pattern & became this mask, almost in no time at all.

I'm crazy about it!  It has so much motion and energy.  I should have suspected that all the life and youthful athletic beauty that I was bombarded with while sitting in that Shibuya theater would creep into my art somehow.


It has an almost Japanese feel to it...sort of like "mon" (Japanese crests).   Again, I was influenced by my surroundings no doubt.

I want to try it in all sorts of colors!  I think the design works best with two fish of the same color with contrasting bodies & tails.  Or, it could be awesome as two solid-colored fish of contrasting color...a "yin/yang" thing.  Certainly I'll be doing it again. 

It's funny, 'cause for me, maskmaking works one of three ways:
*a struggle; nothing is quite right so I tweak away at it...it's frustrating as heck & takes a few different attempts before I get it "right" or give up.
*a joy; I can see the mask developing right in front of me & it's all becoming more & more exactly like the picture in my head.  The verdigris lion was like this, and "Tsuru".  
*a surprise; I have been having more & more of these lately.  The design is so involved & multi-layered that I utterly lose sight of my "goal" & I'm just happily, blindly building the mask according to my original plan, step by step, until it's done.

This betta mask falls into that last catagory; surprise!  I made a good pattern & from there, I was just cutting, carving, coloring...it was like a paint-by-numbers painting that you build bit by bit until suddenly, you say "hey that's pretty cool!".  I didn't even know what this mask looked like until I saw it again this morning for the first time.  I picked it up & fell in love with it...started bouncing around the room like a little kid in fact.   I have to say...I'm pretty darn happy with it.

It's up in Etsy, but if I sell it today or tomorrow I'm not shipping it until Friday, 'cause the photoshoot  is Thursday night & I want to see this mask on the cover of "Artvoice" magazine!  I think this mask is perfect for the Mardi Gras issue.   

The photographer has asked me to come along on the shoot as well, so that'll be fun.   We're meeting with the models at a local art bar/theater downtown...I'm glad I get to be more than just a person providing masks!  More on that by Friday, no doubt.  If it happens to me & it's interesting, you can be sure that it'll end up in my LJ somehow.  I'm such a nerd! 

 On a serious note; my dear friend geirny  lost her father last night.  I've known both of them for years (almost 2 decades); he was a wonderful, funny, friendly person full of life and energy.  Everyone who knew him loved him; he touched hundreds of peoples' lives because he was just a likeable, approachable guy who always made you laugh & feel at home.  A real character.  I'm going to miss him.   My heart goes out to geirny & her family.  *hugs*   

 

Comments

[golden-meliades.livejournal.com]

That IS a very cool mask. Very masculine. (Though I suppose with a softer colour...white background, different colour fins and scales, etc, it could easily be just as feminine. Your masks mostly tend to the masculine, I find...though the morning glory mask you made me looks quite feminine.)

The fins also look a bit like hair on an anime guy. :) It's very striking.

[merimask.livejournal.com]

Thanks! It is a bit masculine & it's true, alot of my designs are for some reason. I guess because I like bold, strong designs that make a statement. I initially thought this one would be frilly & feminine but it also ended up looking powerful...perhaps if I do some violet & white fish that'd dial it back some?

I totally planned for the swirling fins to look like hair! Good call! ^_^

[empath-eia.livejournal.com]

That is so eyecatching, holy shit. I can't seem to look away. *_____*

[merimask.livejournal.com]

Isn't it? You should see it in person. It wraps right around your face & over the top of your head too, so it's all swirly & wild...almost like a helmet of whirling red & blue..

[zannachan.livejournal.com]

I'm really sorry to hear about your friend's father.

I love the fighting fish mask--that's terrific! The fins are incredible--it's all beauty and motion. This is one of my favorite masks that you've made.

[merimask.livejournal.com]

It's very sad about Geirny's Dad. He was very active in the SCA for three decades...lots of broken hearts all across the country today, I'm sure.

Thank you...I'm glad you like the mask! I think it's becoming one of my favorites too, & that's something considering how many things I've made in my career.

[alexkrycek42.livejournal.com]

Wow I love it too! Before I even read anything you wrote I immediately gasped and went "WOW!" Great work!!

[merimask.livejournal.com]

Thank you! It's a flashy one, eh? I can't wait to try it in some diferent color combinations.

Awesome

[(Anonymous)]

I keep saying this... this mask is so beautiful! But it's true. It's wonderful, what a blessing you have to be so artistic!
Holly

Re: Awesome

[merimask.livejournal.com]

Hi Holly. ^_^ Thank you! I'm pretty happy with it too.

[thegeminifactor.livejournal.com]

That.
Is really.
Freaking.
Cool.

[merimask.livejournal.com]

Thanks! ^_^

[thegeminifactor.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I never said it, but I thought the swan was pretty cool too. I loved how you used the silk (?) to flesh out the shape, it was very creative.

[kls-eloise.livejournal.com]

I'm trying really hard to spend less of the company's time online so I'll keep this short...

WOW.

[merimask.livejournal.com]

LOL! Thank you dear. I think I'm going to try it in white & violet next (those are really common betta colors).

[kelkyag]

They look fabulous! I think the highlighting on their heads/scales also turned out very well -- strong sense of light -- even if it's overshadowed by those huge showy tailfins.

[merimask.livejournal.com]

Thanks! My favorite betta was a blue-finned fish with a metallic green body so I really want to try that out. I wasn't sure if it'd be too subtle because the fins swirling can be confusing (I thought) so I did this first one in really bold colors.

I think the design makes sense though, so I'm planning all kinds of experiments. ^_^ Fun fun!

Your Verdigris Lion idea has been a HUGE hit, by the way. I am bombarded with requests.

[kelkyag]

Woot! I was very pleased when the second one flew out of your shop.

[ramblinsuze.livejournal.com]

Ooooh. This is beautiful! The colors really pop and the movement is great (I particularly like the 2nd photo). What a great design!

[merimask.livejournal.com]

Thanks! It even photographed well, didn't it? Sometimes it doesn't photo well but this one did. I can't wait to experiment with different colors...bettas come in so many varieties!

[drriftwood.livejournal.com]

Love the mask!!

So sorry about your friend's father..:( *hugs to you and geirny*

[charismitaine.livejournal.com]

kdfhakouhfo!!!!!1! *incoherent because of the awesome*

That is incredible.

[irisconlon.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking of getting into mask making, how do you shape the leather to fit over the face? is it a mold or a cast?