AMAZING MASK BLOG AND PICTURE STORY BY VAL

[Valentine Mark Herman]

Bonjour!

A number of you (well a number that is greater than 5 but smaller than 7) have asked for more information on my current Mask-Making activities.

In the absence of Jinny (who is on holiday, but otherwise might have made a Mask-Making video -- did you see her 'Do Not Open!' vid...it's a classic!) I have put a series of photos together for y'all.

Here goes....

1. Catch your Mask

2. The Mask close up

3. Check out the Mask to see if it is OK

4. Find out who is behind the Mask (this is critical!)

5.Kissing the Mask Goodbye

6. Farewell Mask, Dear Friend!

7. The Mask awaits it's fate (it seems to have shrunk a bit, but never mind)

8. The NEW MASK! It's called 'White Spirals'

9. Catching up with White Spirals

10. Who's behind the new Mask?

11. Kissing the new Mask Hello

12. Kissing Val Hello!

No such luck! (Hélas)

Thanks to Carla and the Mask

[Valentine Mark Herman]

AWJ: "Great Minds Think Alike"?

Val

("Fools Never Differ"?)

[Austin Wills James]

"When I think back
On all the crap I learned in high school
It's a wonder
I can think at all"

I have that lyric written down & pinned to a cork board over my art desk. :)

-AWJ-

[Valentine Mark Herman]

Thanks DVS!

Do you know Paul Simon's "Kodachrome"* which contains this verse:

"If you took all the girls I knew
When I was single
And brought them all together for one night
I know they'd never match
My sweet imagination
And everything looks worse in black and white"

Now, if I was ever to have a reunion of all the bands I'd been in and associated with and brought them together for one night, it would be a very large gathering indeed -- and the music wouldn't match my sweet imagination, BUT you would be invited for sure!

Val

* PS There's another great couple of lines in this ditty:

"When I think back
On all the crap I learned in high school
It's a wonder
I can think at all"

[De Villo Sloan]

Val, the masks resonate across cultures and epochs - very powerful work you are doing, IMHO.

I am glad you know about False Face Society, as I feared some might think I was joking. That's great you named your band FFS, even if short lived. Let me know if there is ever a False Face Society reunion.

[Valentine Mark Herman]

Yes MomKat, I painted the faces. I buy the masks -- and most of them are really horrible -- in flea markets and then try and 'improve' them. They are going in an exhibition, or two, in August/September.

Val

[Valentine Mark Herman]

Thanks DVS! I came across the False Face Society when I was studying in Canad a circa 1970. The name stuck in my head for ever and ever, and I once names a rock band I played in (1980s) 'False Face Society'.

[I say 1980's, but the band was short lived, very short lived...as they all were in those days]

Gmad you liked the Mask.

[De Villo Sloan]

Great work, Val.

One of our indigenous Native American (Indian) groups - the Iroquois - here in NY have mask rituals they do to this day - The False Face Society.

[Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat)]

Fun pics and beautiful masks...and mask wearer!

Val, you painted these, yes? Fantastic!