Moody Men

The Moody men concept was not a well thought out plan, rather a journey of realisations.  It started with a little mask I made, a lovely face which I replicated and have hanging in groups in the house.  I noticed depending on the viewing angle and the final touch ups by my hand, gave these masks a few subtle expressions.  At times they smile like the Mona Lisa and other times they pout like a regular grump. 

I spent a lot of time thinking about the mask as a person, then realised the point of the mask is to not let people know what you think and how you feel.  I am familiar with hiding in plain sight, and what makes me feel safe?  For me, a tough exterior and covert doona dives help in the darker times, but we can’t always crawl under a soft rock until feeling safe.  Most of the time we continue to stoically function, as there are always others who are far worse off than us.   Masks and blankets!

The first sculptures were made. I chose a porcelain clay, the most temperamental and well known for being the diva all clays, a beautiful but difficult clay.  From a sculptural perspective porcelain does not hold its own shape very well, but a rolled-out layer can fold and slump like a heavy fabric.   All my rugged-up masks were huddled on the bench waiting for their next process and the song “music people” reached its tough love dialogue, and there they were... my moody men.  Their name comes from one of my much loved regularly played albums Silent Introduction by Moodymann.