Vintage Funeral Mask Comes To Life

After 1st cleaning before remount.

 It feels good to take care of my kitsch and transform it into home decor. Have you heard of the Death mask of Agamemnon? I've always been somewhat enamored with Bronze Age Greece (c.2500-1100 BCE), the Minoans and Mycenaeans, so when I noticed an old souvenir reproduction of the famous funerary mask in a box lot it was quite a find! I was thrilled to add it to my small collection of funeral art and masks.

The original artifact is a mask of gold that was found in 1876 by Heinrich Schliemann in Mycenae. It was dubbed as the "Mask of Agamemnon" because Schliemann was convinced that he'd discovered the final resting place of the mythical king of Mycenae, commander the united Greek armed forces during the Trojan War. The mask, however, is most certainly not the face of Homer's fabled king because it is much older than the historical Agamemnon.

When I received my version of the mask it nearly resembled an artifact dug out of the ground, likely having spent many years boxed in a garage. It was mounted to a padded trophy shield of black velvet and faux green paper crocodile skin. The velvet had lost its fuzz and was worn threadbare on the edges. It was dusty, and the metal had begun to "green-up" in a few places -- a damage that will continue to spread if untreated. So I cleaned old Aggie up and put him aside until I got around to creating a new background mount.

The first photograph shows the "before" and the second photo is the nearly finished product. It's resting in a regular picture frame now but will soon go into a glass encased shadow box frame for protection from dust and debris.

I started by brushing some Cardinal Red craft quality acrylic paint over a large piece of archival sketch paper. When that dried (thank you blow-dryer) I crinkled it firmly into a ball. The chalky texture of the paint cracks open a bit in the crinkles exposing the soft paper, which I then smoothed flat and washed with a thin coat of Burnt Umber craft acrylic paint. I wiped off the Burnt Umber with a soft moist cloth then let the paper sit overnight. The next day I adapted the design from images of genuine Mycenaean fresco using Antique White and various blue craft paints.

After the design was finished I coated both sides of the paper with Liquitex Acrylic Varnish. The high amount of acrylic polymer in the quality Liquitex product increases the lightfastness and gloss of the craft paint plus protects the surface of the metal mask from chemicals that could migrate up from the paper or paint. The painted paper was then attached to paper board using PVA glue. The mask was originally wired onto its old mount but over time the weight of the piece had begun to pull it out of shape. I opted for thick dabs of hot-glue as reinforcement. It's a strong hold yet could be removed for re-mounting in the future.

I'm happy with the level of protection I've given to this piece and enjoy it much more than when it was mounted to a dirty black base. Time well spent!

Learn more...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mask_of_Agamemnon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agamemnon

*Original art images ©Tree Pruitt, unless otherwise indicated. Contact the artist prior to ANY use.

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Finished Nature Goddess Sculpture

 In each of the places I've lived in North America I've encountered nature spirits. Inside the mysterious trees and brush one thing can often look like another at first glance. Have you ever walked in the woods and mistaken a log for an animal or caught unexplained movement out the corner of your eye? Some say that the cautious creatures of magic in the woods disguise themselves to avoid capture. Who can say if they are really there or not? I wanted this recent sculpture to have that ephemeral feeling of both natural and supernatural that makes one take a second look in curiosity. If it has a meaning greater than that then we'll ponder on it together.

close-up of "Hamadryad" by Tree Pruitt

In a previous blog entry I shared an assemblage statue I'd begun titled at the time as, Nature Goddess Sculpture, well she's finished now and enjoying a spot on a curio shelf. From the base of the marble stone to the painted tip of the highest feather she stands thirteen inches tall. Click the link to see pictures in the old post of how this piece began. She has become a North American hamadryad, with her head-dress of native bird feathers; red cardinal, yellow finch, and black raven are represented in her crown.

Wikipedia informs us that hamadryads, "are Greek mythological beings that live in trees. They are a particular type of dryad, which in turn are a particular type of nymph. Hamadryads are born bonded to a particular tree. Some believe that hamadryads are the actual tree, while normal dryads are simply the entities, or spirits, of the trees. If the tree died, the hamadryad associated with it died as well. For that reason, dryads and the gods punished any mortals who harmed trees."



"Hamadryad", sculpture by Tree Pruitt



My Hamadryad statue could be understood by some to be an unhealthy tree because of the plethora of bracket tree fungus she wears up her trunk, but I don't think of this fungus as a death symbol. Also known as Artist's Conk, this particular species is Ganoderma lucidum, which is a type of fungus I've personally observed on living trees. This species is a hard textured annual with a shiny red -brown top surface when dormant. The underside of this "Artist's Conk" yields a mat surface like a dusting that darkens when touched or scrapped. Marks will become permanent, allowing artists to express creative images on the surface. I've enjoyed watching this species shape itself to the contours of tree trunks over the years, as if poured into place, until it becomes a very firm part of the tree; attempting to remove them is quite difficult and harmful to a living tree. Overall, it may be harming the ash and locust trees I've observed it growing upon, but they've thrived for well over forty years so far, with the fungus growing only in the low shadows.

 
This sculpture is considered by myself as an "assemblage". An assemblage is simply taking parts already made and putting them together to make something else. It certainly has been an assemblage of inspirations! Here, though the surface is carved and formed similar to a traditional sculpture, the body is made of different parts. A pine wood dowel rod runs upwards, and this isn't just a support structure because I've left a portion visible as torso. The foundation is a base of marble chunk. The clay is attached to this base making it a permanent part of the piece.

I was nearly sad when this assemblage sculpture was finished. I had great fun working on this piece. Paperclay as a medium has proven to be very versatile when mixing into my 3-D artwork. I enjoy the final results of this project, and I hope you've enjoyed it too!

Browse my studio store to see available artwork






http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamadryad
http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/march99.html
*Original art images ©Tree Pruitt, unless otherwise indicated. Contact the artist prior to ANY use.

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Dragon Feature

Today I'm enjoying having a piece from my ArtFire.com Studio having been selected for a special collection on the site. Curated by member, Vievespolys, these treasures prove that dragons aren't always to be feared! With a lovely assortment of things that decorate, things to wear, and things to carry the graceful side of the favored fantasy creature is featured. My ACEO, Magic Green Dragon Eye, that is in the feature is a quality digital print version of one of my favorite SFA paintings. The original hangs in front of me now, watching over my world with magic, and it thrills me to be able to share my dragon with you all! Take a look below and please do enjoy the Collection!

Yes, there are dragons!

Curated By: Vievespolys

ArtFire.com

Fine Art Paintings

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Ganesha Indigo Flow Added to Portfolio

I've just added this digital manipulation, "Ganesha Indigo Flow", to my ArtWanted.com portfolio. If you visit there, you'll see a close-up image of the digital effects, which shows best at full size.

DESCRIPTION: Photomanipulation collage, by Tree Pruitt, that combines elements of nature and spirituality in a contemporary presentation. The elephant headed Hindu God Ganesha (or Ganesh) sits holding the Golden Ball of enlightenment filtered through hues of indigo over a flowing granite stone like background. Style of digital manipulation lends the image a dream like, painterly, quality overall.

* Shop for fine art prints, including canvas choice options & custom frames, as shown to the right.




*Original art images ©Tree Pruitt, unless otherwise indicated. Contact the artist prior to ANY use or for purchase information.

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Guarding Monk Mummies ACEO Gargoyle Art

Title: Guarding Monk Mummies
ACEO Original Gargoyle Art

This image began as a digital print from one of my sketch book pages. Though there may be other printings of the drawing, this version is unique and one of a kind. The digital print was then hand colored with acrylic paints and quality Prismacolor pencils. Printed on acid free card stock paper, plastic protection sleeve included. Signed as "T P", lower right.
 *NOTE; Image shown is a scan of the actual card for online showing; card will likely be considered as looking much better in person because the printed card has a better resolution than you see here.

*Original art images ©Tree Pruitt, unless otherwise indicated. Contact the artist prior to ANY use or for purchase information.

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