Metamorphosis..

No matter how many masks I create, it never ceases to amaze me when all the mess and chaos turns into something that's not far off what I imagined  ;)

This moth mask was a commisioned piece I finished during Yule. I apologise for the fact that my piccies aren't great (the lighting leaves alot to be desired so the colours are not too true)  ... cameras and me don't always play nicely ;)

I hope you all had a lovely Yule/Solstice and I wish you a happy, healthy, creative and fun 2010:))

All photos copyright Tanith Hicks 2009

Behind the masks..... :)

I'm sorry not to have been posting very frequently, but I'm a bit  busy with commisions at the moment.  I thought I'd share a little look behind the scenes at some of the other pieces I'm working on though...... those leafy moths etc that I mentioned :) I'm very happy with  how things are going with them, even though I've not been able to spend a great deal of time working on them recently.

I'm sorry that my desk is not the most exciting space in the world, but as my work area is fairly small I have to force myself to be much tidier than I used to be and keep it fairly clear ... although I'm usually  more a fan of organised chaos :))

So here are the masks unmasked ..

'Chateau Bizarre' review

I had a lovely surprise yesterday. I received an email from Chateau Bizarre to tell me that my website and masks had been reviewed on their own site. I think their words are gorgeous and if you'd like to take a look then you'll find the review here:'Chateau Bizarre' :))

The wanderings of a pencil :)

I've not really shared any of my sketch books before. Drawing is not my strongest point ...but I'm never without  a pad of plain paper, kept close by to quickly scribble down ideas whenever they come to me. I very rarely work from complete and detailed sketches. I prefer these fragments that capture a feeling, that I can then expand and elaborate on as I create the mask. I enjoy this freedom as it is so organic and fluid.

These are the leafy moth masks that I'm working on at the moment :)

Wintery baroque bats and wolves are demanding my attention as well!

More wanderings waiting to tell me their stories....

                     

'Now you see me.......'

Soft sunlight (though sadly days of pouring rain now) golden leaves falling and dusky nights  drawing in. These all start to fill my mind with dreams of moths and endless masquerades :) This season always makes me lose myself a little and  fills me with visions. So one thing drew me to another and I became entranced with moths who always wear their autumn best to dance with the leaves.....

I love these insects in their masquerade costumes . I have found Praying Mantis's and Spiders that look like flowers and dead leaves , butterflies that look like owls, moths that look like hornets and flies that look like wasps... and so much more!  The leaf moths/butterflies fascinate me the most at present  and have given me some wonderful ideas to play with. I have already stated experimenting with textures, colours and materials.

 I'll go back to those autumnal woods now :)

Portraits of a Muse.

One of my greatest sources of inspiration is the wondrous Marchesa Casati! My 'Medusa' mask (shown below) was a piece that was for me a tribute to this unique lady. So you can imagine how excited I was when me and Chris got an email from Scot Ryersson and Michael Yaccarino, the authors of 'Infinite Variety', the biography of the Marchesa, saying that they were working on a new book and that they would love to include one of Chris's photos of my 'Medusa mask !

'Medusa'

Photograph: Chris Dean

Mask & model: Tanith Hicks

Well 'The Marchesa Casati: Portraits of a Muse' is now out :) We've not actually got to see a copy of it yet .... but one of Chris's photos is supposed to be in it along with a little piece about me and how the Marchesa has influenced my art. Sadly the publishers went for one of the colour shots out of the session we did, whereas we preferred the black and white ones ourselves. But if you get a chance to take a look at it I hope you enjoy it :))

If you want to know more about the Marchesa and about the book then take a look at The Marchesa Casati  :)

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New beginnings......

Ah.... the first entry! I think that's always the hardest bit of a new blog.  How to set the scene?

Well it's been a long  time now since I had a proper blog, but  now finally  feels like the right moment to jump in again :)  I've spent many  inspiring hours enjoying some really wonderful and creative blogs and I'd like to give a little in return.

I would like this to be little storehouse of memories. Somewhere to record and share the process of creating my masks and explore those things that inspire and delight me. ....I'm looking forward to this :)