May 13, 2012
Crow Mask update

The Crow mask is drying on the bathroom windowsill - I think that’s the last bit of work I need to do on it, but will be able to tell better when it’s dry.

The more I look at it, the more I feel it needs to be accessorised! Maybe a long crow feather “necklace” to go with it, so something like that? Somehow the “crow-ness” needs to be distributed more across the whole body, rather than just being a mask for the face.

I was looking at the (many, unpublished) photos of the Bark Mask, and in the full length shots the mask seems small and much less significant - completely dominated by the nude figure (which is why the Bark Mask photos I published were mainly head shots rather than full length shots).

Now obviously when you have a full size nude figure then the head is only about 1/7 or 1/8 of the figure, and the mask a fraction less than that, so it makes sense that it seems diminished in the importance of the figure.

So I need to find some way to include more of the body in the photos (because otherwise it’s just a photo of a mask, which isn’t what I’m after) without the mask being just one small detail in a larger photo.

I think I’ll try some distorted camera/body angles: head close to camera, body foreshortening away - that’s the obvious solution.

Sorry - just thinking out loud here!

1:11pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZZBfVyLOrjNB
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Filed under: art crow mask mask 
May 7, 2012
While I’m waiting for the Crow Mask to dry, I’ve uploaded another from the Bark Mask series:
Bark Mask 03

While I’m waiting for the Crow Mask to dry, I’ve uploaded another from the Bark Mask series:

Bark Mask 03

May 7, 2012
Stage 3: “The Nose Job, Part I”.
Beak shortened by 3”, and the sawn-off stump remodelled with thick card and polyfilla.
When the polyfilla is dry (4-6 hours time) I’m going to paste a few layers of thin newsprint over the polyfilla to build it up to exactly the right height (and strengthen it), then the beak gets another coat of matte black acrylic.
After that then there’ll be more small feathers added, and it should be finished.

Stage 3: “The Nose Job, Part I”.

Beak shortened by 3”, and the sawn-off stump remodelled with thick card and polyfilla.

When the polyfilla is dry (4-6 hours time) I’m going to paste a few layers of thin newsprint over the polyfilla to build it up to exactly the right height (and strengthen it), then the beak gets another coat of matte black acrylic.

After that then there’ll be more small feathers added, and it should be finished.

11:15am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZZBfVyL1wVM6
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May 6, 2012
Stage 2: main set of feathers attached.
Tomorrow I think I’m going to shorten the “beak” by about a third of its size and sculpt it into a more crow-like shape.
This could, of course, go horribly wrong…

Stage 2: main set of feathers attached.

Tomorrow I think I’m going to shorten the “beak” by about a third of its size and sculpt it into a more crow-like shape.

This could, of course, go horribly wrong…

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April 30, 2012
After some research…

…I now have a huge number of ideas for the whole “Crow Mask” photograph series. :)

Can’t wait for the feathers to arrive, then I can start on the mask (the blank mask that will form the base of the mask arrived today).

Then I need to find a model and start working on the “set”.

April 9, 2012
For those that haven’t heard of her (yet), Ellen Rogers is a photographer you really should give some serious attention to.
I can also highly recommend her book of photographs, called Aberrant Necropolis.

For those that haven’t heard of her (yet), Ellen Rogers is a photographer you really should give some serious attention to.

I can also highly recommend her book of photographs, called Aberrant Necropolis.

April 8, 2012

Untitled
2012
Photographer: Paul Watson (me).
Mask: model’s own

Untitled

2012

Photographer: Paul Watson (me).

Mask: model’s own

April 6, 2012
Interstitial Art & Unpopular Culture (Spring Report)

This is the web version of the Lazarus Corporation email newsletter, which gets sent out about 4-6 times a year (and this one has just been sent out - click through to have a look and sign up if you like the look of it).

April 3, 2012
The Bark Mask (2)
2012
Photographer & mask-creator: Paul Watson (me)

The Bark Mask (2)

2012

Photographer & mask-creator: Paul Watson (me)

April 3, 2012
The Bark Mask (1)
2012
Photographer & mask-creator: Paul Watson (me)

The Bark Mask (1)

2012

Photographer & mask-creator: Paul Watson (me)

April 3, 2012
The Bone Mask
2012
Photographer & mask-creator: Paul Watson (me)

The Bone Mask

2012

Photographer & mask-creator: Paul Watson (me)

April 1, 2012
Sneak preview from yesterday’s photoshoot

Sneak preview from yesterday’s photoshoot

March 28, 2012

I’m getting a lot of likes for the half-finished bark mask, mainly because it got featured on the Crafts tag - many thanks to whoever arranged that, and thanks to everyone who liked or reblogged it. :)

The finished (-ish) version is here. I’m hoping to do a photoshoot with it on Saturday (more details here), so will be posting some photographs of it in use in the near future.

Another 3 blank Volto masks arrived today, so I suppose I should start work on the next ones. Need to wrack my brain for ideas…

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March 25, 2012

In a brief aside from the trials & tribulations of mask-masking, fans of Françoise Duvivier may like to know that she’s sent me pictures of 8 new collages from the book Experience Blockhaus which you can see on the Lazarus Corporation website.

March 15, 2012
Photograph of mine from 2011 for a project called The Book of the Erinyes (currently on hold, but to be revitalised sometime in the future)

Photograph of mine from 2011 for a project called The Book of the Erinyes (currently on hold, but to be revitalised sometime in the future)