Birth of a Mask

Handmade ceramic tiles, mirror glass & photolithography on clay, 23” x 25”, Artist’s Collection

I had a photo shoot with Alistair Findlay for my first mask exhibition in New York City in 1976.  It was the first time I actually saw the evolution of my mask-making process. Placing a slab of wet clay on my face (not seeing what I was doing), I worked from ‘the inside out.’ Breath and emotion became the catalysts for the surprising faces that emerged. This mosaic’s starting point is the central image of a sweet-faced young me holding the wet clay. To see ‘the birth of a mask,’ move clockwise from the top image. Emanations from the center represent the flow of creative spirit.