For hundreds of years man has sought to disguise, adorn, protect, and immortalize his face. For reasons of vanity, social status, power and prescribed ritual, man has altered his appearance through the use of masks, protective gear, paint and powder. Masks are common to all cultures, even our own, but they vary greatly from culture to culture. Most masks have eyes, nose, mouth, and hair. Many are realistic and many are stylized. Because the face so powerful a symbol, even the slightest clue, can suggest a face. The masks presented here have no religious influence but are artistic interpretations of multi cultural masks studied over a period of years. The artist, Debbie Wilson, says, "I have been fascinated by the ritual magic qualities of masks. These are not copies of the masks of other cultures but are adaptations, using contemporary materials." These masks are built by the ancient methods of coiling, pinching, and slab. Each part is hand formed and smoothed to the clay body. No two masks are exactly the same and each individual piece is given special attention to be as close to the pictures seen here as possible. Limited editions of 25 of each design will be created, numbered and signed by the artist and made available to the public. Pieces created to be hung from the wall have a hanger made into the back.

African Ritual Mask    #101 Approximate size 9"w x 12"h The Masai Tribe in Kenya, Africa, smear themselves with chalk from a sacred cliff to perform ritual dances. The stylized patterns proclaim bravery in killing lions or enemy warriors. This inspired the creation of carved, black, contour lines with white outlined eyes and lips. The spiral on the chin symbolizes life's journey to the center or self. The African mask is made of terra cotta clay and glaze. Price $75.00 Quantity E-Mail: maskmania@hotmail.com Call: (305) 257-5648 Debbie Wilson