{"id":10129,"date":"2023-07-13T11:25:58","date_gmt":"2023-07-13T15:25:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.elizabethfram.com\/Blog\/?p=10129"},"modified":"2023-07-13T11:25:58","modified_gmt":"2023-07-13T15:25:58","slug":"master-masks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elizabethfram.com\/Blog\/master-masks\/","title":{"rendered":"Master Masks"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the joys of living where we do is being surrounded by woodland neighbors. For the most part they are shy, so we only hear them or see evidence of their presence. It’s a lucky day when we actually catch a fleeting glimpse of one of them going about their business.<\/p>\n

\"Bear\"

4:37 AM, 05.05.2021<\/strong> My husband has a game camera that he moves from place to place in our woods. In the wee hours of an early May morning a couple of years ago, he captured video of a bear, fox, raccoon, fisher cat and porcupine, all making their rounds at different times during the same night. \u00a0We loved that they all chose to cross one of his bridges, rather than keeping their feet on the ground. Owls and pileated woodpeckers are less quiet and less elusive, but no less thrilling to see.<\/p><\/div>\n

It was hard not to think of the animals who share their homes with us while visiting master carver Dempsey Bob’s<\/a> retrospective “Wolves”, at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts<\/a>. The beauty and skill of his work is beyond spectacular. His poetic use of line interweaves forms with deceptive simplicity, conveying both depth of character and a seamless alliance between the conjoined animals.<\/p>\n

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\"Eagle

Eagle Bear Mask<\/strong> \u00a91987 Dempsey Bob, Alder, acrylic paint, black bear fur. University of British Columbia, Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Wolf

Wolf Headdress<\/strong> \u00a91988-89 Dempsey Bob, Alder, acrylic paint, fur, operculum shell, Private collection<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Wolf

Wolf Chief’s Hat<\/strong> \u00a9 about 1993, Dempsey Bob, Red cedar, acrylic paint, operculum shell, horsehair, leather, ermine. Collection of Eric Savics<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Eagle

Eagle Chief’s Robe\u00a0<\/strong> \u00a9 about 1992, Designed by Dempsey Bob; Made by Linda Bob, Melton cloth, leather, abalone shell buttons, acrylic paint, deer hooves. Collection of Eric Savics. \u00a0 I couldn’t resist including this textile collaboration Bob created with his sister.<\/p><\/div>\n

Each wooden surface is burnished to the sleekness of glass, its smoothness amplified by the textural attributes of the other natural materials he incorporates.<\/p>\n

\"Wolf

Wolf Eagle Frontlet<\/strong> \u00a9 1996 Dempsey Bob, Alder, acrylic paint, abalone shell, sea lion whiskers. Collection of Eric Savics. \u00a0From the exhibit label:<\/strong> “Dempsey Bob has said, “I am a Wolf because my mother was a Wolf. …And her mother was a Wolf. … We get our clans and our traditional names, and also our songs, from our mother’s side of the family.”<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"Mosquito

Mosquito Mask<\/strong> \u00a9 1989 Dempsey Bob, Alder, acrylic paint, sea lion whiskers. Collection of Rod and Kira Dales. From the exhibit label:<\/strong> Deftly carved out of alder wood, one of Dempsey Bob’s most elegant and expressive works, Mosquito Mask exalts the lowliest form of pestilence in high style. The acutely concentrated features of the warrior figure below are dissected by the elongated beak of the mosquito above. Both faces are from a dream world and embellished with sea lion whiskers. “The warrior defended his village by slaying a fearsome monster, chopping his body up and burning it,” says Bob, adding, “The floating cinders became the stinging nuisance we know today.”<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"Eagle

Eagle Transformation Mask<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a92013 Dempsey Bob, Yellow cedar, acrylic paint, horsehair. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 That horsehair! Such a fabulous addition.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Eagle

Eagle Transformation Mask<\/strong> \u00a0 \u00a0As one moves around to the left of the above mask, a transformation appears.<\/p><\/div>\n

Wolf, Frog, Bear, Eagle, Hawk, Raven, Shark, Killer Whale, Salmon and Beaver are all central characters in the cultural stories Bob’s pieces relay. The incorporation of sea lion whiskers, fur, hair, abalone and operculum shells — gifts from the animals themselves — add to the stunning beauty of these pieces while underscoring the native stories they reference.<\/p>\n

As a viewer, I couldn’t help but feel reverence — for the work as well as for the creatures depicted. Intentional or not, Dempsey Bob’s art is a reminder of the essential role all creatures play in our collective histories and<\/em> futures, and of the respect we owe them.<\/p>\n

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