Shawn Athari

The historical mask that provided the inspiration for my interpretation is shown above.

African. - Great Plank masks such as this one represent supernatural flying spirits from the bush that provide their blessings and protection to the families that own them.
This style of mask is made by the southern Bwa in the Kademba area. Due to the influence of their neighbors, only the southern Bwa make their masks from wood, rather than the leaves favored by the remainder of the Bwa. These wooden masks are used in initiations, market day performances and other contexts. 21x43x5 in Lucite case.
This unique sculpture is presently gracing the walls of my studio. I love this sculpture and it watches over me as I create my glass images. The coloration of this Plank has a silvery/blue textured Dichroic glass on the top and a large black irridized face at the bottom. What happens in between are myriads of glass pieces melted into one and each other and then heated to shape. The internal stress in shaping a piece of this size, shape and variable coloring makes it very difficult to bend and still be in one piece!
I really don't want to ship this piece. Pick up only.