Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Masks and Minotaurs and Spells of Making!

I feel as if my blog is missing something.  Though I know I warned you all that there probably wouldn't be any new artwork posted till my little people were back at school, I think it needs something to brighten it up, or it will be in danger of becoming a 'what-I-had-for-breakfast' kind of journal, which will be of no interest to anyone, even me!  So, here are some bits and bobs, some recent(ish) and some not, to provide a bit of colour and interest, until I can get back into creative mode.











Back, oh, years ago, I did Theatre Arts (and Literature) at uni.  I was working part-time and studying part-time, so it took me six years to finish my degree and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way, in fact, I would have drawn it out even longer if it was humanly possible, because it was the BEST fun.  Because I loved art and design, one of the things I enjoyed most was designing for theatre productions and assignments, and MAKING stuff.  This is a mask designed for a group assignment based around the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur.  It's made from papier mache on a card base, with wire netting down the front to allow the wearer some vision (though not a whole lot!), and was wired onto a bicycle helmet (pushbike, not motor bike) so it was stable to wear but quick and easy to get on and off.  The hair is red wool 'rug-hooked' into some old net curtain fabric, then spray painted black.  I have to say though, my favourite bits are the eyes...plastic icecream scoops with the handles sawn off!

The small brass wire boat was a little exercise in working through an idea...I want to make a bigger version sometime.  I can imagine a fleet of them sailing through the air...hmm, so many ideas, so little time!

And finally, another glimpse of that magical beach house.  A watercolour from 1992 of the view from the front verandah to the gate, back when the front yard was a little less civilised than it is now, the gate always got half buried in sand so that it was easier to climb over it than try and open it, and there was nothing between us and the sea but sand dunes and daydreams.


3 comments:

Jess said...

I think it's a good thing to post something even if it's not a new piece because it gets us back in the groove! I did a bit of posting just photos after christmas because I couldn't find the time to paint and it keeps me ticking over :) Thanks for sharing your other arty talents with us, it's great to see how people have change the nature of what they produce and it continues to change doesn't it? That's the nature of a creative life I guess!x

Ruthie Redden said...

Theatre arts, that sounds wonderful. I love the mask,he looks ferocious! there is something so satisfying about making 3 dimensional things isn't there. x

A mermaid in the attic said...

Jessie, I always think that a creative life is a bit like a giant spiral...you move away from one thing, one technique/style/whatever, and do something completely different, and then find yourself travelling back to that earlier work, to revisit it but in a new way, bringing what you've learnt in your 'travels', so it's never quite a complete returning. Theatre Arts was wonderful, Ruthie, I learnt so much in those years. and I do want to get back into 3D work, I've always been a 'maker' ever since I was a little kid. :)

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