Number Four "What I Would Have"

...loved to have for Christmas. If I ever have the opportunity to go to a masked ball (that doesn’t involve kindergarteners), I would absolutely love to have a mask made by Andrea Masse-Tognetti. I can’t even remember how I stumbled across her shop, Merimask, but these are the most uniquely creative things I have ever seen.

From her website: “These unique leather masks and sculptures are the original creations of Andrea Masse-Tognetti, a self-taught artist who has been working exclusively with leather for over 8 years. No forms or molds are used, and no two are exactly alike. Every piece is an original, signed and dated by the artist. The masks are designed to be functional as well as beautiful. Consider them wearable art.

Each mask is cut freehand from the finest grade tooling leather. 7 to 8 oz. leather is used, which is a sturdy, rather thick piece of tanned cowhide, not unlike belt or boot leather. They are intricately carved and tooled, shaped by hand, and hardened with heat. The finished masks are extremely durable, yet surprisingly lightweight. They are painted with a combination of alcohol dyes and flexible acrylic paints, which are colorfast and do not crack or flake. The entire piece is then sealed with a clear acrylic coat, and is ready for wearing or displaying.”

Andrea has done work for Cirque de Soliel and her work can be seen in galleries nationwide. She also has some smaller very affordable wearables in her Etsy store…barrettes, keychains, and pins, like the maple leaf pictured here. Be sure to visit both her Etsy store and her website to see some truly amazing artwork. Her website is currently being renovated but there are still some stunning pictures there.

Creative Every Day 2008: Update....so talk about having to creatively think outside the box! My class started last night. Not only did all my students have the wrong book, thanks to an error in the bookstore, but we were in a computer classroom in which half the computers didn't even work properly. And those that did worked very slowly. College facilities at their finest! So I had to do some creative rethinking to juggle the class for the night. Took care of the bookstore error first thing this morning and am looking for another option for our in-class writings. Hopefully, my winning personality will keep them there after a rough first class! :-)

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