This is from 2006. I was going through some image files looking for something and stumbled upon this picture.

This is part of what was supposed to be a big project: 100 self portrait masks called Catharsis. It is bisque fired stoneware, sumi-e ink, and acrylic. The masks were created from a plaster mold of my face. This one was quite difficult to make. I joined two masks together and encountered a lot of technical issues (I had to repair it multiple times). What made it all worth it is that it won best in show in this show: [link]

This particular mask has a lot of meaning to me, yet it is sitting in a storage bin in the closet. I need to get it out and hang it up somewhere. This one I will never part with. I rarely make something that I feel so deeply about, but the subject matter comes from a very personal place.

Anyway, I think I made 7 masks in all, but I don't care much for the others. I lost complete interest in the project, but was happy to get something very worthwhile out of it.

I was thinking about using the other masks in a series of assemblages, but I guess that will happen when my heart is truly in it.