Artist finds inspiration in masks
By Shari Kaplan
"I never know where the inspiration will come from--a piece of leather, a twig, some wire, a particular color I'm attracted to. The best ones have to have an emotional spark behind them," says Los Gatan Gerri Russell, whose masks are more than just an art form. They are also a form of self-expression and emotional release. In fact, she's been drawn to them since the 1970s, when she made masks in college and also began collecting them.
Her formal education is in the theater arts and communication fields, and her career is that of contractual marketing communications in the high-tech industry. However, she also holds a certificate in expressive arts, which encompasses painting, mask-making, poetry, music, sand tray work, dance therapy and playback theater, the last of which uses improvisational activities to help people improve their interpersonal and life skills.
Russell's enrollment in the program had her jet-setting to Washington one weekend each month for a year. Her impetus came after her mother's 1999 death, which Russell says made her want to "do something different" in her life. She particularly enjoyed the mask work, and now makes them frequently in her home studio.
"I love working three-dimensionally. I'm not a painter; I don't have a very good sense of perspective," she says of why she chose her medium. "I like masks because they're an ancient art form used in all cultures throughout the world for ritual, protection or theater."
"Also, I think all of us wear masks, in our jobs and in our private lives. There are always different faces we put on for different people and situations," she adds.
There are plenty of different faces on display through March 24 at Aegis Gallery of Fine Art in Saratoga, where Russell is one of three featured artists of the month. At the gallery, located at 14531 Big Basin Way, Russell has crafted masks using plaster, paints, fabrics and found objects like beads, charms, seashells and items from trees.
One mask, "Wood Nymph," has a warm brown face surrounded by dried leaves, flowers, seedpods, straw and sheer ribbons. It's special, Russell says, because she feels very drawn to the earth and nature. Not coincidentally, she adds, she is a Taurus--traditionally the most "earthy" of the zodiac's earth signs.
Her grounded nature also shows in a series of masks incorporating wispy dried plant roots, including "Roots of My Life" and "Roots of Spring."
"There just seemed to be a theme I wanted to explore. Not just my own family roots, but the roots of who we are and the path we take through life," says Russell, whose exhibit comprises more than a dozen masks in total.
To share her love of this art form, Russell is organizing several workshops in Los Gatos in which participants make masks from molds of their own faces and then decorate them with a variety of mediums.
Aegis Gallery of Fine Art is at 14531 Big Basin Way, unit 2, in the Saratoga Village. For gallery hours, call 408.867.0171. For information about Russell's workshops, call 408.395.0623 or email gerrirussl@aol.com.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
