Artisanship Focus: Indonesian Masks
Happy midwinter holidays to those who celebrate them!
Here in La Bricoleuse land, we celebrate Christmas, and i want to share with my readership two of my favorite presents: hand-carved wooden masks from Indonesia! They are simply rendered in a soft light-colored wood, sanded smooth and finished with a clear sealer, yet manage to convey such a depth of character. The interior of the masks are only lightly sanded, retaining faceted planes of the wood chisel. They came from a "museum boutique" in Jonesborough, TN--the proprietress apparently travels all over the place finding artisans whose work she wants to sell. She particularly features basketry, jewelry, pottery, and sculpture, though she also has some fiber art. These masks were part of a huge number of pieces she had by Indonesian sculptors.
I bet this photo would get me a lot of winks on Match.com
front view
oblique of second mask
The mask in the top two photos has some interesting dimension from a two-colored leveling in the wood grain. The one on the bottom reminds me of a figure in a Munsch painting or something. I'm going to hang them in my home, but i also look forward to using them as examples in my mask seminar (forthcoming, fall semester 2007).
So, did any of you get anything costuming- or craftwork-related for Christmas? I'd love to hear about it, with any attendant links to photos or detailed posts, etc.!
Here in La Bricoleuse land, we celebrate Christmas, and i want to share with my readership two of my favorite presents: hand-carved wooden masks from Indonesia! They are simply rendered in a soft light-colored wood, sanded smooth and finished with a clear sealer, yet manage to convey such a depth of character. The interior of the masks are only lightly sanded, retaining faceted planes of the wood chisel. They came from a "museum boutique" in Jonesborough, TN--the proprietress apparently travels all over the place finding artisans whose work she wants to sell. She particularly features basketry, jewelry, pottery, and sculpture, though she also has some fiber art. These masks were part of a huge number of pieces she had by Indonesian sculptors.
I bet this photo would get me a lot of winks on Match.com
front view
oblique of second mask
The mask in the top two photos has some interesting dimension from a two-colored leveling in the wood grain. The one on the bottom reminds me of a figure in a Munsch painting or something. I'm going to hang them in my home, but i also look forward to using them as examples in my mask seminar (forthcoming, fall semester 2007).
So, did any of you get anything costuming- or craftwork-related for Christmas? I'd love to hear about it, with any attendant links to photos or detailed posts, etc.!