merimask
- Oct 29
- United States
- Deviant for 17 years
- merimask.com
- She / Her
I'm a self-representing artist from western New York. Self taught in the art of leather maskmaking, I've been working exclusively with leather sculpture for over twenty years.
In 2006, I created several designs for Cirque Du Soleil. Currently, a synthetic version of my mask "Frivole" is in mass production and available in Cirque Du Soleil gifts shops everywhere.
In 2008, I was invited to create over fifty exclusive masks for the Muscle Musical production "Magicarade", in Tokyo Japan. I appeared on several national Japanese television shows with my masks throughout the 2008-2009 holiday season.
In October of 2009, I appeared on the Martha Stewart Show and demonstrated my mask-making technique on live national television.
In 2010, I was commissioned to create several wolf masks for Halloween season window displays throughout the United States. The masks were featured in Ralph Lauren Rugby store windows everywhere.
In 2011, A quartet of my white wolves were featured in an international cosmetics advertising campaign. The wolf masks were used in a fashion photo shoot for Lise Watier Cosmetiques "Neiges" perfume, shot in Toronto. The advertisements appeared throughout Canada during the 2011 holiday season. You can see YouTube videos of the photo shoot here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfl8iL...
...and here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJf9vM...
In 2011, I designed four owl masks for an up and coming UK hip-hop group called The Four Owls. Currently, the masks can be seen in performances and videos all throughout Europe and the UK.
Video for the second single 'Not Like Before', taken from 'The Four Owls' debut album 'Nature's Greatest Mystery' on High Focus Records, 5th December. Video directed, filmed and edited by Harry Wheeler. Video can be seen here:
www.youtube.com/watch?feature=...
Also in 2011, my white fox mask was featured in an independent film; "White Fox Mask". A GWYCKY FILMS production...official website here: http://www.gwyckyfilms.com/home.html
The movie has just premiered at the American Film Festival in Poland.
In the summer of 2012, I was commissioned to produce designs for the Metropolitan Opera. My Anubis masks appeared on stage (and simulcast in movie theaters across the world) in the 2013 production of "Rigoletto".
Also in 2013, my black fox mask appeared on episode 304 of the ABC hit TV show "Once Upon A Time".
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Comments
Overall Vision Originality Technique ImpactLovely, Ivan! You did a wonderful job with your choice of accents and colors here. The baroque swirling patterns in the corners mimic the twisting rays of the lion's mane without being exact copies. I love the subtle "ray" pattern in blue and green, shooting out from the mask...very classic and a nice addition!
My only complaint (an observation that only I would notice, probably) is that the shape of the nose was altered when you mirrored the mask image...it made the nose look small and cute instead of big and lionlike. But again, it really does not detract from the impact.
Fabulous fractal manip! Nicely done.
I'm honored that you took the time. I agree; the black markings are a bit stylized and heavy...with the realism in the carved fur it does sort of slam up against that thick black line. I like those tear patterns on cats ( most notably seen on the cheetah). Tear markings run from the inner corner of the cat’s eyes to the side of the cheeks near where the whiskers start. They help to reduce the glare of the sun and aid the cat in hunting during the day. Young lions have them and they gradually fade with age, but on lions they're more subtle than on cheetahs, and never black. I think I'll try my next version of this mask with thinner, more subtle tear markings in brown instead of black, & see how that looks.
Thank you again!
