Artists
Caroline Guyer/Teonova
Caroline discovered the art of leather mask making in 1999 and enthusiastically embraced the medium with some guidance from master leather artist Fred Eisen of Bucks County, PA. Allowing each mask to express itself as it is created is one of her favorite parts of the process, enjoying the organic and sculptural qualities of molding leather. Caroline’s masks are made entirely and individually by hand, using a face form only for the molding of the nose area. The past few years have seen the addition of different types of animals to her mask inventory, and she has more planned for the future.
Chuchaa!
This mask maker was born in 1954 into a military family. She has lived in many places including Tokyo, Japan, for 6 years and now resides in Texas. She is greatly influenced by the oriental art of Kabuki Theatre and her high school mentor, Mr. Al Langren. She has worked for many years as a costume designer and mask maker and has been active in the Mardi Gras Mask Market here in New Orleans. She is also active in training others to pursue their artistic endeavors and hopes to one day establish an art colony where artists may retreat and study art.
David Knezz
David is an avid sculptor and professional mask-maker. His masks have been featured on stage and film productions all over the globe. A resident instructor at the Children’s Theatre of Western Springs since 1992, David won a Legacy Award in 1997 for excellence in teaching and was honored with the 2009 Award of Excellence for Creative Dramatics by the Illinois Theatre Association. Besides teaching workshops in mask-making and mask-acting around the globe, he also contributes his considerable skills as an actor and director in the Chicagoland area as well.
Frittworks
This New Orleans artist is self-described as a “crippled, crotchety, Chichasaw Creole who needs money for new shoes for 15 grandchildren.” Paul uses his artistic abilities to create breathtaking leather masks that give the wearer the ability to reveal ones “true self.”
Morgan Hersey
Ms. Hersey grew up in Seattle Washington, and has always been a creative person. She saw a leather mask many years ago by John Flemming, was captivated by it, and knew that was exactly what she wanted to do. She did what research she could, slowly developed her amazingly beautiful style, and has been creating masks since then. She loves the characteristics and textural aspects of leather and plans to continue creating them for many years to come.
Incognyto
She fell into mask making unintentionally after being laid off from the semiconductor industry. A friend loaned her a mask to try to duplicate. It was a fun challenge and she discovered a new creative outlet. Her masks have universal appeal. There is a beauty in their simplicity and they have a clean sleek mysterious elegance. From half masks to full-face masks, all of the masks are made from premium quality leather for excellence in appearance, durability, and are molded to a plaster head for maximum comfort.
Jeanne the Maskmaker
These masks are made through a process of her own creation. Instead of coming up with a design, making a mold of that design, and then casting several masks from the mold, she does almost the opposite. The only mod used is a mold of a human face or a wig head used on the inside, which is then sculpted into the design in her head. Each mask is sculpted by hand, even those in a numbered series, making each mask unique, with its own personality and character.
Masks by Kai
His unique creations, called Kai Masks, are reminiscent of fairy tale daydreams & unforgettable nightmares. Each mask is handcrafted, titled and guaranteed one-of-a-kind. Hide behind a Kai Mask and enter the dimension called fantasy.
Connie Trapp – Masks & Things
She is an Oregon artist, wife, mother and grandmother. She has been making masks for the last 11 years with her sister-in-law, master mask-maker Diane Trapp. She has traveled to New Orleans to sell her masks at the Mardi Gras Mask Market for the last 13 years.
Diane Trapp – Illusionary Designs
Her art is the exploration of emotion. It’s movement combined with character and cultural imagery to create pieces that have an immediate emotional impact on the viewer. She has been creating masks since the late 70’s. Primarily wearable work for stage productions and Mardi Gras. Feathers, beads, rhinestones combined with fancy fabrics creating an illusionary fantasy.
Daena Ortego
A Louisiana native who is inspired by the landscape, folklore and suffocating humidity of the region. She has been fascinated by the symbolism of masks for as long as she can remember. Her masks are often named after mythological figures and Daena tends to think of her masks as actual (or actual goblins as the case may be). When she’s not up to her elbows in plaster and goblins, she is creating original fantasy artwork in watercolors as well as other fantasy-oriented items.
Monica Roxburgh- Goblin Art
Born in New Zealand, she moved to the United States in 1987 and currently lives in Portland, Oregon. She has been making masks since 1996. While she loves creating visual art in many mediums, her current focus is mask making and sculpture. She has created and sold more than 300 masks from the internet over the past three years.
Eleta H. Shepard
Lives in Bayou Vista and Houston, Texas. Always interested in different mediums of art, she found the opportunity to make masks fascinating. Great Grandmother aka “Bayou Nana” jumped right in making everything from big masks to mini masks to micro mini masks. She gives much credit to her daughter Chuchaa, who shares the art mask making with her. Her masks are made of the finest materials – velvets, satins, feathers, crystals, and more.
June Skinner
Originally from New Orleans, she has recently relocated to New York. June creates light and comfortable masks of mythological characters using vacu-formed plastic bases embellished with beautiful silk adornments with glitter accents.
Amy Wood
Amy is a northwest artist who specializes in whimsical, elegant fantasy masks. Each is hand made with great attention to detail and construction, making them as comfortable to wear as they are enjoyable to look at. They are formed over a wire rimmed, vinyl base that stays slightly flexible around the edges, allowing them to fit a wide range of face shapes. They are then decorated with fabric, feathers and floral leaves. Eyes, noses and beaks are made of a light-weight, air drying model material, then sealed with paper-mache, acrylics and polyurethane. These masks are intended for costume use and have a soft fabric liner for comfort but also have wall hanging display hooks.
Originals by Alice
Alice Thibeault is a freelance artist located in Southeast Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Art Education. Her many endeavors include portrait painting, sign painting, logo development, murals, theatre props, and for the past 16 years has been designing and creating costumes for Krewes in Southeast Texas. All of her works are unique and one of a kind. Using Swarovski crystals, rhinestones, specialty feathers and beautiful trims, she creates designs that are as unique as the person who wears them.
Gwen Jones
Gwen Jones is “The Umbrella Lady” of New Orleans.
She has over 15 years of experience designing and creating Mardi Gras Costumes and Harnesses for Carnival Krewes and their Mardi Gras Tableaux (Balls) in and around the New Orleans area. Simply stated she understands the importance of BLING! She creates beautiful embellished Umbrellas and masks that are unique and one-of-a-kind for birthdays to Weddings and everything in between.