Bark Mask 02

Artist’s Notes

The Bark Mask 02 feels like a very primal image, drawing on stories of mythical forest/woodland deities. It is the the second mask I created in 2012. The base is a blank Venetian volto mask, painted to resemble bare wood, then three-quarters covered with oak bark.

The photograph has a deliberately narrow depth-of-field, to keep the mask as the focus of the image and to keep the human element at a clear distance (in common with how a mask can dehumanise the wearer).

The purpose of this first photoshoot was just to get a feeling for how the masks would work on camera under photography lights. I was fairly pleased with the results, and I also learnt a few lessons for future photographs with masks.