Shawn Athari

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

Origin: Fort Rupert in the Pacific Northwest. A Solatlala rattle from the 1940's. It most obviously was used during ceremonial dances since it contained beads, which when shook, made noise. Original can probably be seen at UBC in Vancouver, BC. Size 10 1/2x19 on 8x8 Plexiglas stand. Most of these masks use lines to accentuate a shape and rigid lines for effect or emphasis on a feature. Most of the lines were parrallet and then tapered to a terminal point. The painting was meant to enhance, embellish or emphasize the basic form of the mask. I can see this especially in these masks and the Totem Poles. Only painting on the glass would given strength to the features, so important in these pieces. Constant colors are black, red and white. This has a black background with violet and silver dichroic. It is a fabulous compliment of colors. 12x20 on 8x8 Plexiglas stand.