Dia de los Muertos

Paper masche mask by Tomasito 2008


Young Artist's Studio


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Dalai Lama

Paper mache Dalai Lama Mask

Tomasito 2008


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Mask Making Workshop

Tomasito, Redding CA USA 2008

You are cordially invited to my Maskmaking Theatre Workshop Sunday September 21, 28 at noon--and Art Hop Downtown Redding.

At the Turtle Bay Exploration Park, Redding, CA USA
phone 242-3108 to reserve a place.

Papier Mache Masks and Art.

Tomasito


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Maskmaking Workshop

Maskmaking Workshop at the Turtle Bay Exploration Park, Redding, CA USA.

BE THERE OR BE SQUARE!

Thomasito

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papier mache masks

Dancing Mask

The "Pilgrim" mask is one of the Dancing Masks for the Redding, CA festival.

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frog in watercress mask

Frog in watercress--Sacramento River Trail

This frog is one of the "Dancing Masks" for the projected folk dances.

I think the Turtle Bay Rainbow Bridge--the "World's Largest Sundial" would be an excellent venue for a yearly series of folk dances--featuring birds, animals and people of the Redding California area.

Since the huge gnoman of the Rainbow Bridge points the absolutely accurate time of the year by the sun--this could be the telling time for the dance series.

A six month-long series of perhaps six annual dances would be good, I think--to begin on December 21--the shortest day of the year--and to end on June 21--the longest day.

This same period is often used by the ancient peoples all over the world for their seasonal dances--and though most of the people in Redding are not the original ancient people of the area--(in terms of anthropological roots they are more usually fairly new transplants)--a series of new folk dances might be enjoyable for them too.

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Dancing Masks

Maggie the Part-time Cat and the Wise Woman Dancing Mask

Several of the papier mache masks I now have displayed at the Redding California Public Library are meant to be "Dancing Masks"--not simple face masks or wall decorations.

These masks may be used in a series of folk dances in Redding--commemorating the changing seasons of the year.

The Wise Woman mask (above) is a character which will appear at every dance.
representing the eternal wisdom of the female--the "great mother" of mythology.

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papier mache masks

One of Thomas Wold's Turtle Bay Dancing Masks.

Turtle Bay Exploration Park Papier Mache Artist

Exhibits at Redding Library

Papier mache artist Thomas Wold , who will teach some of the basics of the medium at Turtle Bay Exploration Park in his “Mask Making Theater Workshop” on Sunday, September 21 and 28 at noon and then use the students with their masks in performance at the Redding Downtown “Art Hop”, will have an exhibition of fifteen of his own hand-made masks at The Redding Library, 1100 Parkview Avenue, Redding from August 13 to September 30, 2008.

Mr. Wold, who learned his craft in teacher's art courses at Sonoma State University and practiced it in various theater productions in Hawaii and at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, has a BA from UH and an MA degree in English from NAU.

Mr. Wold has taught classes from kindergarten to post-graduate level and from mountain villages in the Andes to Vladivostok, Russia and, with his wife Tanya, has made his home here in Redding since last November.

Working with scrap newspaper, cardboard and cast-off materials, simple wheat paste and acrylic colors, Wold demonstrates how unique artistic creations may be produced at practically no cost—he is convinced that papier mache is a great medium for such things as masks and theatrical needs.

Thomas is very interested in folk art and dance festivals—the wearing of animal and plant masks for seasonal celebrations and believes that Redding and Turtle Bay's most unusual sundial bridge is the perfect location for a six-month series of seasonal celebrations starting with the Winter solstice and ending with the summer solstice annually.

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Mask Making Class Reminder

REMINDER

I will teach the

"MASK MAKING WORKSHOP"

at the

TURTLE BAY MUSEUM

Sunday 21 and September 28 from Noon to 3p.m.--as the first two meetings of three-part mask-making workshop.

The third meeting will be as a performance part of Redding's new "ART HOP" downtown.

"This is a great opportunity for families and older children to have an artful experience together. Ages 12 and up."

Call 242-3108 to register.

Members $55, Nonmembers $70. At the Turtle Bay Museum, Redding, CA.

See you there! Thomas Wold

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papier mache masks

Tanya Frog in Scotch Broom

One of the nicest things about my current exhibit of papier mache masks and other papier mache art is that Tanya and I simply brought the masks to the Foundation Reading Room of the newish Redding Public Library.

There librarian Elizabeth Kelly and her team of young artists and library aides took charge and arranged the work into a VERY effective display!

I had to do nothing and IT WAS DONE just like with magic!

Thanks, Elizabeth and team and all the people who have dreamed, planned, financed and developed this very unusual and good PUBLIC LIBRARY!

TW

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papier mache masks

Papier mache is a great art medium! As long as there is newsprint around--and any old newspaper will do--and you have a couple of handfuls of flour, water, a pan and a stove to cook the paste on--you have a very good fairly plastic medium for sculpting interesting forms.

Mix the paste with flour and water until it is about the texture of heavy cream--bring it to a boil and then cool.

Tear the newspaper in strips--all newsprint has a "grain" which can be easily torn--against the grain is difficult--strips about an inch across and the length of the folded newspaper I have found convenient--and you are ready to go.

For mask making it is very easy and good to start with a paper grocery bag stuffed with wadded up newspaper--tape on the features you want--cardboard noses, ears and so forth and then cover the whole "maquet" with newspaper strips dipped in paste.

Four to eight layers of paper strips will make a good, solid mask--if you want it to last for wall decoration or heavy theatrical use, twelve or fifteen layers is not too many--this will give the finished mask the hardness of light wood.

I have found that acrylic water-based paints give the mask very good color and a clear acrylic medium finish gives the mask a fine glossy appearance. (These colors and finish are the only pricy thing in mask-making!

papier mache masks

"Inspector Morse" character w/skull

Yesterday about twenty of my recently realized papier mache masks were installed at the Redding Public Library for a month-long exhibit.

There are several "portrait" masks among them.

Two were inspired by "Inspector Morse" from the British TV series.

One is a character from "Cousin Bette" also from British TV.

One is inspired by a Van Gogh portrait of a French teen aged girl and one is modeled on one of his self-portraits.

I love to make imaginary monsters and animals because it gives me a lot of freedom--but it is also very good practice to try to make 3-dimensional papier mache portraits--and it is more of a challenge artistically in some ways.

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Library Exhibit

Sketches for bear and frog papier mache masks.

This morning Tanya and I had the fun of delivering a carload of my original papier mache masks to the Redding Public Library for their first exhibition.

They will be displayed in a nice conference room--some on the walls as decorations and some in glass cases.

There were several young library assistants on hand to mount the display--we just delivered the artwork and they took over!

Simple and good!

The room is only open by special permission--but if you wish to view them close up--ask the librarian!

TW

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Thomas Wold papier mache artist

Thomas Wold, Papier mache artist

Redding CA Record Searchlight:

Paper mache artist Thomas Wold will exhibit 15 of his masks at the Redding Library from August 13 until September 30, 2008.

Thomas Wold uses old newsprint, cardboard and other plastic and paper pre-formed articles to produce unusual and enduring masks—some of goblins, gnomes, animals and other fanciful creatures and others are portrait masks.

Thomas tries to imbue all his creations with a feeling of action and life.

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Tanya and Crampus

Yesterday you saw the unpainted Crampus mask.

Here I am with Tanya wearing the finished mask.

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Crampus mask unpainted

Crampus mask unpainted paper mache

Making the masks is easy for me and good fun too.

I am not under contract and am not trying to please anyone but myself with these masks.

I work well without direction!

So far there is no pervading theme or precise direction so anything that happens in masking characterization is perfectly OK.

As long as there are cast-off newspapers and a bit of flour to boil up some paste, I am in business.

Who knows where it will go?

Who knows where it all will go??

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Me working

Me working on a frog mask. Tanya photo

Hello.

It seems an odd time to be doing something as childish as making masks of paper mache--but the world seems so bizarre to me right now that it seems the very best thing I can do.

There are presently almost two thousand wild fires burning in California--some sort of record they say-- gasoline prices are increasing by ten cents a gallon or so daily-- who knows for sure what is happening in Iraq or Afghanistan since the powers that be play so loose with the truth...

Making paper mache masks seems not such a bad occupation after all to me.

Good peaceful work to you too!

Tom

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Fish Mask

Tanya photo

Fish are an important part of the circle of life in this part of the world.

Very unfortunately, the local salmon have reached a point where they could become extinct if human habits do not change.

Other fish share the same bleak future--and unfortunately so do humans since it is more than a poetic conceit to state that all life forms are indeed connected.

By constructing this fish mask and using it ceremonially, I hope to raise my own and other's consciousness to a point where we can truly realize that making money and acting foolishly are not the only habits worth having.

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Wise Woman mask

Tanya photo

I call this mask "The Wise Woman". (Our part-time cat maggie is resting near the mask.)

I have been very fortunate in meeting a number of older women who have greatly helped me in my development and understanding.

This MASK character represents a number of the wise women I have had the honor of meeting in my life.

No longer in the body but always living in my thoughts are Sister Helen Mary of Bardsey Island, Wales, Elizabeth Studer of the Ceramica Il Poggio in Italy and Kikka Gladhorn of Gut Bellers, Germany .

Another of my great old friends is Beatrice Bennewitz of Bad Feilnbach, Germany.

I owe a huge debt of gratitude to these wonderful older woman.

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Pilgrim mask

Tanya Photo

I call this mask "The Pilgrim".

Here The Pilgrim is walking a trail to some pilgrimage goal.

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