Wooden Mask
I made this mask as a part of my exploration of wood as a medium of expression. The goal was to be able to bring out the latent organic form from within the wood. So I picked up a couple of rusty chisels and set out.
The journey was therapeutic. The following of curves and the grain of the wood made me a patient man. I learned how to use and sharpen various chisels and tools along the way as well. The importance of sharp tools can be explained by my shoulders; using the mallet for 5 hours a day is not recommended. You literally fight with the wood to impose your plan on it, whereas the wood too has a will of its own. Perhaps between the exertion of these 2 wills, the form emerges from within the wood.
The back of a broken Teak wooden chair was used to carve the mask out of. The left side was entirely made using a curved chisel and the right side was made
using a straight chisel.
To make the mask, I practiced chiseling over the course of a month.
These are my results.
