Masquerade Mask: Journey into the Artistic Soul

If eyes are the window to the soul, then a masquerade mask frames these portals. Eyes transform into mystical moorings when peering out through a mask. We find this inexplicable desire to venture inside the mind of the masked artist to discover why she creates. The artistic person frames her soul’s windows with various art …

The Entrepreneurial Artist

I’ll be honest; I’m mesmerized by the business side of art because I find the idea that people can do what they love and get paid for it fascinating. Entrepreneurs like Kelly Rae Roberts and Mary Engelbreit motivate me. These innovative women took their artistic passions into the marketplace and changed the world for the better. Kelly Rae Roberts was …

Behind the Masquerade Mask: Developing Creativity in the Dark

I believe there are times when we develop creativity in the dark. By this I mean, we give ourselves permission to hide while we explore our identities. During these shadowy times, we become like children sampling what calls to our hearts. A precious spontaneity sweeps over us, and we dare to do something never attempted before. …

Masquerade Masks: Ideas for Decorating

Whether you make your own masquerade mask or buy a blank one online, decorating your mask is a fun creative project packed full of potential for self-expression. Recently, my daughter, Andy, decorated some masks for her dance group. She used acrylic paints, glitter glue, ribbon, and feathers. Here is a photo of Andy applying glitter …

How to Make a Vintage Masquerade Mask

Soft and feminine yet brazen and bold; Hardly descriptors seeming to go together, except when you’re making a vintage, mixed media masquerade mask. I’d envisioned a vintage mask for weeks. In fact, the concept captivated me because I love all things vintage—aged colors of yellow ochre and burnt sienna with a splash of aqua green; …

The God of my Own Design

I believe there are scriptural absolutes. I’m also quite certain that my perspective on those absolutes is skewed at times. Perhaps this is because I live in a politically correct world in which truth is strained through the sieve of human understanding until all of the uncomfortable chunks are removed and what’s left is more palatable. And …

Make Dreams Come True in 2012

Often what I enjoy the most wrestles out from under a price tag: the giggle of my grown up girl or the scent of a rose freshly snipped from the stem. Such is the same for my artistic interests—whether designing a wreath or writing a book. Money doesn’t matter when sunrays stream through the window …