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Rainy day. I kept myself occupied all weekend (trying to keep my mind off my wounded car). Here are some custom masks I just finished.
Wood Spirit.
EDIT: OMG now Greg's car is dead too. It died the same way. If it's the timing belt I'm going to freaking split a seam. I just had it towed to Mike's as well, and it's a damn good thing I have AAA. WE HAVE NO CARS AT ALL NOW.
Wood Spirit.This mask was commissioned by a guy who wanted something sort of like the Spriggan Mask, but a bit more animalistic. Sort of like a cross between a Spriggan and a goat. He intends to wear this with goat horns. I think it's a heck of a lot of fun. The bugs & butterfly were his idea.
From the side.
Also, this:
Venetian Cat with moon & star.
For his wife...a Venetian cat to match her gown. In blue, white, & purple. She likes compass stars & half-moons so I worked those in, too.
It's a really cute mask.
I had my friend gierny & her husband over today. It was fun, chatting with friends. I made sushi for us girls (the guys had to have pizza because they won't eat seaweed), & we watched the Buffalo Bills get maimed & crippled in the season opener.
I'm still busy as heck, working on a big order from a new client; Wild Birds Unlimited. They're in Delaware. This is only one of about 300 stores of the same name...it's a national franchise. I may have stumbled into my first national chain account, which would be awesome. They're interested in my "nature-related" items, like the butterfly pins & the leaf keychains & barrettes, but since I threw some pictures of my non-fantasy-type masks in the info packet (wolf, fox, lynx, owl masks), they've decided to try those too. How cool is that?
From the side.Also, this:
Venetian Cat with moon & star.For his wife...a Venetian cat to match her gown. In blue, white, & purple. She likes compass stars & half-moons so I worked those in, too.
It's a really cute mask. I had my friend gierny & her husband over today. It was fun, chatting with friends. I made sushi for us girls (the guys had to have pizza because they won't eat seaweed), & we watched the Buffalo Bills get maimed & crippled in the season opener.
I'm still busy as heck, working on a big order from a new client; Wild Birds Unlimited. They're in Delaware. This is only one of about 300 stores of the same name...it's a national franchise. I may have stumbled into my first national chain account, which would be awesome. They're interested in my "nature-related" items, like the butterfly pins & the leaf keychains & barrettes, but since I threw some pictures of my non-fantasy-type masks in the info packet (wolf, fox, lynx, owl masks), they've decided to try those too. How cool is that?
EDIT: OMG now Greg's car is dead too. It died the same way. If it's the timing belt I'm going to freaking split a seam. I just had it towed to Mike's as well, and it's a damn good thing I have AAA. WE HAVE NO CARS AT ALL NOW.
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I just dislocated my windpipe with a gasp of "OMG"ness.
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I was going for a sort of "Pan's Labyrinth"/Brian Froud-esqe darkness with that mask. I like that it's kind of creepy.
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I know Wild Birds Unlimited - I got their catalog once or twice, and they have three stores in CT. They're pretty fancy and pretty pricey (which I why I don't shop there. One of them is actually in my hometown, where my parents live. It may be worth hitting up the three in CT - they're in Brookfield, Glastonbury, and Niantic, all of which are pretty affluent areas. Niantic is down on the shore, and anyone who can afford to live down there is doing pretty well; Glastonbury is less fancy than it used to be, but is still fairly upscale; Brookfield has the upper-Fairfield County thing going for is, but is less affluent. On the other hand, the store is sitting on a major commuter route so it probably gets good traffic.
It occurs to me that I should check some of the fancy-pants places up in the Canton/Simsbury area for you. Those are people with money!
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The Wild Birds Unlimited thing might be HUGE. There is an inter-store network & the owners of the Delaware store are going to put up my info there so other Wild Bird stores can potentially buy from me as well. I'll be shopped to ALL the stores in the franchise. This could be a huge development.
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OMG now Greg's car is dead too. It died the same way. If it's the timing belt I'm going to freaking split a seam. I just had it towed to Mike's as well, and it's a damn good thing I have AAA. WE HAVE NO CARS AT ALL NOW.
Oh, NO! *hug* That sucks. :(
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*sigh* I feel like I must have pissed off someone in the universe, somehow. How can any ONE person deserve this much bad car karma?
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The Venetian cat mask is *gorgeous*. I really love this style so much. Swirlies!
And I think there is some secret conspiracy amongst cars that says if one goes down, they ALL go down. That sucks, man. >:/
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OMG what did I DO to deserve this terrible car luck? All at once, too. We've been problem-free with these cars for over a year now so I guess we were due but WOW...
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Holy Crap
For what it's worth, when Bob broke the timing belt and destroyed all the valves, it cost us about $2,000.
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Re: Holy Crap
Things (for Greg's car) ended well enough. All my gallery money is gone at this point. Still no definitive word on my car...perhaps tomorrow.
*sigh*
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I love the mask, bugs and all, though I had a similar thought about Cthulu. But I think it's very, very cool, and the Venetian cat is lovely. At least you have lots of work now!
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The mask IS a bit creepy, to be sure. The guy who commissioned it definitely was heading that way with his description. This mask & the Spriggan are both kind of scary. Even my Medusa mask (& she's a real monster) is more beautiful & glamorous than scary. Im sort of testing myself, 'cause I felt like all my masks were too "pretty". It's fun to crawl out of the box sometimes (& scare people!)
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Sorry! Had to do my good ole boy impression. It sucks that both cars have gone down. Think your mechanic will swap some work for a mask or plaque?
Love the kitty... the sprite's not up my alley, but you did a great job on it.
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We'll be ok. I just got a big check from the gallery & we have a "plan B" in effect for catostrophic expenses. Fortunately Greg is very smart with money (he works for Citicorp after all). Still, it sucks & if the Volvo needs a new engine we'll just have to pay it off & scrap it, basically.
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Just by looking at the not!spriggan, you can definitely see an inderlying animal quality to it. It's eerie and natural and so cool!
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That's exactly the effect I was going for. Some of Brian Froud's fairie paintings are like that too...very based in nature & the natural world, but spooky & scary too, like a twisted dead branch on a dark night.
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I hope the repairs don't end up being too horrific! The car woes are the suck.
So was the football. I just don't get it and even less so knowing that one player will likely be crippled for life now. I think I'll never be an organised sports person.
We had an awesome time hanging with you guys! The boys are goobers for fearing the nori. Silliness! :-) But more for us!
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We have to have you guys over more often, & I really want to drag you two up to Toronto to see the lantern festival again (but I have NO CAR still). Woe!
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We all need to do a voodoo "Car-Woes-be-gone!" dance or something. I'll send you a traffic safety charm next time I send random J-goodies your way. Hehe. :)
And!
Oh, oh, oh!! Those masks are pure and utter love. :D The wood sprite is really to die for! It reminds me of something out of Mononoke Hime, hehe. The idea of wearing goat horns with it sounds so darn cool, too. Lovin' the bugs and butterflies, too. ♥
And congratulations on the new orders! :D Man, you're going at full steam these days, aren't ya?? So happy for you! ^_^
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That wood mask was fun to do because it's so dramatic & creepy. I notice that most of my masks (even the dragons & monsters) are really "pretty" & I'm challenging myself with these new creepier designs. The bugs & butterfly lighten it up a little, because otherwise (especially with the goat horns) I think it'd be a little TOO scary.
Phew! I REALLY wish there was a way for me to market my work in Japan. Keep an eye out for me, ok? Perhaps there's a place somewhere in Tokyo that specializes in imported art objects...I just bet they'd have a broker & that would solve all my shipping/tariff woes.
Hope all went well with the move...I've been thinking about you! :-)
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There's definitely good car juju charms around here. Heck, they have charms for everything else (one temple I go to has "good computer juju charms" XD), and traffic/travel safety is definitely one of 'em! *L*
I REALLY like the different style with the spriggan! He's still got this natural "pretty" quality, but it's definitely on the dark/mysterious side. I can also imagine how he'd look with different types of trees! Like with evergreens like fir/spruce. ^_^
I know there's gotta be lots of places here that has imported arts! There's probably some right here in my neighborhood, too, since there's shops here that have all sorts of random art goods. :D I'll definitely let you know if there's anything that might be worth your time!!
Hee! And the move went very smoothly! Just getting all the loose ends tied up and we're pretty much settled in! Now all we need is a puppy, and life will be complete! ;)
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PUPPY!! Shiba pups are so cute too, they look a little like some kind of charming wild animal cub (like a baby fox or a wee little tiger)...something about spitz-type pups make them seem exotic & wild.
Be careful & go to a good breeder, someone who will help you pick a pup with the right temperament for an apartment. Don't take home the noisiest bossiest puppy who clamors for your attention...that's the alpha & they can be a PAIN. I say this because I always pick the alpha on purpose (because I'm home with them all the time & I'm good at training the bossy ones)...otherwise the poor alpha almost always ends up in the pound. Kiba is such a handfull, anyone else would have gotten rid of him by now. ;-)