Lola's Masquerade

As a child, I feared the nightmares that crept into my mind each night. My dad bought me a hoop and yarn and taught me to weave a dream catcher. I hung it over my bed and the terrible dreams stopped, trapped in the web.

The wearer of this mask is also a dream catcher, trapping and filtering fantasies to ultimately determine what images will dance behind the eyelids of those around them. Try not to get drunk with the power.

Meow meow! I took inspiration from my furry feline companion. The stiff, crooked whiskers are playfully mischievous and the ears ever attentive. Be sure to practice your meows and purrs.

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Cat tails waving in the wind and lily pads lapping against the shore provided inspiration for this hand painted mask.

Hidden in the mist of a vast forest, a little ecosystem is ruled by fungal law. A monarchy of mushrooms oversees its minions of moss, bark, and decay. Bow politely in the presence of such grandeur.

The time between night and day, the space between earth and sky, the being between human and animal. Live in the world between worlds.

These stones have been polished in the Wisconsin River, and collected by a few naked humans on the finest beach in Southern Wisconsin. But how, you ask, do you collect stones without pockets? An artist never tells… Ok, I put them in a baggie left over from lunch. But I much prefer the mystery. Like the mystery of concealing your face with the shimmer of a calm and clear spring with liquidly flowing vegetation.

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On a perfectly clear midsummer night, the moonlight tickles your skin as you enter a woodland clearing. A light breeze creates a chaos of leaves and shadows. In this fantasy land, you could be anything and see anything.

I meticulously hand painted and sewed long strips of linen across the face of this mask to imitate the ridges of petrified wood. The sparse feathers and crested brow remind me a tiny woodland creature popping its head above the Virginia Creeper.

Copper wire woven across ash twigs imitates the sheen of a dewy spider web capturing the first golden rays of dawn. I used copper infused paint to create bark-like ridges for the base of the mask. Don’t worry, the spider hides as the sun comes up.

I wanted the fire to look as though it’s burning through the dark and smoke, so I brushed the ridges with red and golden pearlescent paint. The rhinestones are just burning embers floating into the night sky.

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There is a flock of turkeys that lives in my quaint little Madison neighborhood. Those turkeys don’t give scat about stopping traffic or chasing jogging mommies pushing baby strollers. Embody the power of the turkey; it is nothing to squawk at.

Before anyone had learned to write a history, antlered human-like beasts peaked out from thickets at dawn and dusk. This skull was nestled in the peat and preserved in the bog that this poor creature mired in so long ago. Before summer school swim lessons and the recognized benefits of regular teeth cleaning could have saved it from drowning and gingivitis. But please forgive the beast’s hygienic transgressions; it still had a beautifully toothy smile.

A horrendous creature is hiding in the damp darkness, its mouthparts twitching and mirror eyes glittering with fantasies of future meals. Its many legs are itching with anticipation to pounce on its prey. It loves being fabulously disgusting and terrifying.

Grand bronzed horns are marvelously effective at keeping people from dancing into your personal space, or at least people who value the wholeness of their face. I’ve made a couple versions of this mask because it is so darkly perfect at bringing out the inner beast.

Strut and peck and cheap, just don't try to fly with this mask. Acceptance into your local cardinal flocks is not guaranteed.

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I wanted to create a mask of a mythical bird warrior, with ridges of past scars and knobby skin worn by years battling under harsh sun and through arctic winters. The mask was ultimately destined for a high school prom. This seems entirely appropriate.

Sometimes they are cute and fluffy. Sometimes there are fluffy and deranged. Both sides of this bunny are creepy.