Wooden mask: mahogany. 2003

Carved in 2003.  Original design by my wife Emily Worsnopp.  When I began carving many years ago, I was continually drawn to masks.  As a beginner carver I believe masks are the perfect subject to carve because  there is so much room for variation, even within the bounds of the realistic human face.  When you begin to add abstract elements, the possibilities are endless, and even when I thought I had made a mistake, it was always possible to simply change my original design idea and turn the mistake into an unexpected feature of the mask.

Another thing that has drawn me to mask carving is my father's interest in indigenous art, an interest that spread to me as I looked through his art books as a child.  The features in this piece are somewhat different from my usual masks and faces.  Similar masks with these shapes and features are often referred to as "oceanic", though for accuracy's sake I'm hesitant to apply the label here.