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.
Alexis began Gypsy Renaissance many years ago and has been successfully creating joy for mask wearers every where. Her masks are a combination of feathers and fabric Her daughter Jade has joined in the maskmaking family business. Their imagination is endless as well as their talent.
Vincent began mask making after a vacation to New Orleans, where he was first exposed to leather Mardi Gras masks. He spent several hours in the mask shop, and purchased two, before I headed home. After doing some research on the mask making process, he drew upon his background in art, and produced several masks. His styles range from festive masks such as the man in the moon, jesters, and the elementals….to the frightening masks like devils, skulls, and dragons….. to everyday animal masks such as wolves, eagles, cats and bats.
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.
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.
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.
Catherine was encouraged to start drawing by her mother at an early age. Her family has a long history of art, dating back 3 genertions, where her Grandmother and Great Grandmother were painters for Wedgewood. By the age of 16, Catherine had already had a touring solo show in Galleries across Ontario Canada. In 2002, she started an art based company called DeMasque Productions, Ltd.that specializes in leather masks and other leather niche items. Catherine is also a published fantasy novelist writing under the pen name Catherine DeMasque.
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.
Artist Beverly Boulet, internationally collected mask maker since 1980, has had her work featured in many media arenas, including Vanna White on the “Wheel of Fortune” and her leather, feather and raffia mask worn by Aerosmith vocalist Steven Tyler during the 1994 Grammy Awards. More recently, she created a rhinestone encrusted gas mask dripping with ostrich feathers for the cover of CBRNe World Magazine and featured at their convention in Brazil in October 2012 that will be auctioned for charity.
Isaac is best known for his award winning costumes and his astounding leather mask creations. He first designs a pattern, cuts it from one piece of leather and painstakingly bends and folds it, almost like origami, and then completes each piece with an airbrushed paint or stain finish. Isaac has also created a leather mask for the CBRNe World Magazine and convention. His leather mask depicts a skull, miasmic cloud and several rodents, which was featured on the cover and will be auctioned at the convention.
Puppeteer, mask maker and performance artist Gabriel Q has baffled audiences since the 5th grade when he discovered the power of drag and improv during show and tell. Whether turning himself into a drooling baby in a stilt walking high chair or launching 6 enormous butterfly puppets in a Mardi Gras parade, this Vermont resident delights in parading his cabin fever for the entertainment of others. His masks are made using the traditional Venetian papier-mache technique and treatments inclue painted, gold leaf, silver leaf and copper leaf, laquer, distressed and crackled finishes.
Erik’s Inspiration began as an artistic outlet by Erik Attia’s passion for nature, science and the art of the masquerade. Working in a studio in Bogota, New Jersey, Erik’s masks are created using age-old papier-mache techniques. Each mask is hand painted and/or airbrushed and embellished with a variety of fine trims, natural gems and genuine Austrian crystals. Masks are created with a variety of materials including natural and dyed feathers, hand-made paper wings or lightweight horns. Deriving influence from nature and fantasy, each mask is a unique piece of wearable art. Erik’s works have been sold internationally and his clientele includes the world renowed Cirque du Soleil.
Jeff Semmerling was one of three partners with Reverend Mike Stark in his original mask shop on Decatur St. back in 1982. Sonja Schaeffer and Jeff formed their partnership in 1986 which brought together the experiences of theatre, art, leather craft and fashion design, making 2011 their 25th anniversary. Since then, they have developed techniques and explored materials that have honed their craftmanship. The time and craftsmanship put toward comfort make their masks some of the “finest, most comfortable handmade masks anywhere” They hand sand the inside of their leather masks and seal them with acrylic for all day comfortable wear.
John McBride has been making beautiful masks for over 35 years. He works with leather and feather and has a secret method to create magical horns that are incredibly lightweight. He has made and sold masks across the globe including Cirque du Soleil.
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