Ancestors – Leather Half Mask
$120.00
Fully handmade leather half mask. Hand cut, hand formed, hand painted and decorated. Features vegetable tanned leather in a classic half mask style with aluminum wire accents, quartz points, and iridescent ribbon.
Description
It all begins with a piece of leather. I choose my leather pieces carefully, as I want the back to be as smooth as possible so it will be comfortable to wear. The leather is then cut to shape with shears and knives, wetted, stamped or carved, and formed to my face. A hairdryer speeds up the process, also helping to harden the leather so it will keep the shape.
It dries overnight and the painting begins, first with a sealing coat of neutral acrylic and then thin layers of various metallic tones. Strokes indicative of dragonflies are strategically placed and holes punched for the wire accents to be formed. It is given three coats of Krylon acrylic sealant, again, allowed to dry overnight. Quartz points were selected and wrapped, then attached to the wire.
With the mask against my face, I decide the best place for the ribbon holes, punch them, and feed lengths through that are attached with a lark’s head knot. Ribbon ends are sealed with Fray Check.
The back of the mask is kept natural. There are two different schools of thought in the leather mask making community – one believes the leather should breathe and leaves the back unsealed, the other believes it makes no difference. As I have heard talk of fully sealed leather molding, I believe the leather should breathe and do not seal my backs. I have no actual experience with this happening, however, and support leatherworkers who choose to seal the backs of their masks.
“Ancestors” is wearable art created and shown in several galleries and now available for purchase. I will never make an exact replica of this design again, though I certainly will make more metallic masks and masks with wire accents and am available for custom work.
- Store Name: Emerald Raven Creations
- Address: Twin Cities, MN, United States (US)
- Email: cynporter@gmail.com
- Phone: 16122078872
Welcome to the online storefront of Emerald Raven Creations. Here you can find artwork and offerings by Cynthia, located in the Twin Cities of Minnesota in the United States of America. Please feel free to contact her if you have any questions.
Shipping Policy
Already created and gathered items will take 1-3 days to be shipped. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, I am limiting the amount of times I visit the post office to send packages. Drop offs will be made twice weekly; days of the week will vary from month to month due to a changing work schedule and seasonal variation. If you are concerned, please feel free to reach out to me and I will update you personally.
Tracking will be provided whenever reasonable. Insurance will be included for any item above $50.
Delays due to the recent change in management and policies at the post office have effected shipping times. This is still by far the most reasonably priced way to send smaller packages. If you have a problem with the post office specifically in your area, please reach out to discuss alternative solutions.
Refund Policy
Shipping is not an exact science and buying online is different than in person. I do my very best to describe and accurately represent all items offered in my store and package them securely for transport.
Unfortunately, life is not perfect.
If your package is damaged in transport, please feel free to contact me so we can discuss an amicable solution. Depending on the damage, the post office may be responsible for compensation, or you may wish replacement. I aim to find a fair compromise and keep a good customer base.
If you feel your items were badly represented, again, please contact me. See my policies on returns and exchanges for further information.
Cancellation / Return / Exchange Policy
You may request cancellation of any pre-made orders that have not been posted/sent or custom work that has not been started.
You may return items for a refund within 60 days of my having sent them. Items must be in the same condition as they were received. I will refund upon safe receipt of the items, minus a 10% restock fee which covers original postage, processing fees, and relisting.
Custom work that contains very specific personal identifiers is not available for returns. (EG: names, dates, symbols) If you are unhappy with the result of your custom work, please contact me to discuss why and to find a fair compromise.
Please contact me directly if you have questions about exchanges. As many of my items are one of a kind, exchanges are not usually available and returns would need to be discussed.
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