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She Warrior

Materials used:

• wood base, Wyoming;
• plaster cast my face;
• two halves of a small wild boar pelvis, Hawaii;
• wasp nest paper, Great Falls, Montana;
• black sand, Hawaii;
• twigs, Montana;
• tail feathers of a wild rooster, Kawai, Hawaii

(wall mount)

This Mask Artistry piece entitled “She Warrior” is another I kept intentionally very simple, with few materials. The wood base is so gorgeous by itself; the mask and few twigs and feathers were all I wanted to add. The mask face, with wasp nest paper and black sand is strikingly powerful. My partner found the wasp nest paper, like a sheet of papyrus, in a city park while we were acting a scene for a commercial shot in Great Falls, Montana. The black sand from Hawaii merges with the wasp paper on the face. The two halves of a small wild boar pelvis I found in Hawaii frame the face, making something of a “helmet” on the sides of the face.

There is a bit of backstory for the two iridescent tail feathers coming from the left side of the “helmet.” On the island of Kawai, where thousands of chickens run free, I found a recently deceased rooster, who apparently was under a coconut palm in a “wrong time, wrong place” scenario. He got hit in the head by a huge coconut that fell from the palm tree... bonked him right out. I blessed him on his way to “chicken heaven” and took two tail feathers, for later use, to honor him. Those feathers, and a few twigs complete the simple decoration.

This Mask Artistry piece seems to have the Warrior Spirit. She seems ready to defend her stance, her kin, her land, and her belief systems. Although warlike in nature, warriors need not necessarily be physical fighters; by just discerning right from wrong, many warriors can stand up for what is truthful, righteous, and appropriate for themselves and others. Perhaps this warrior represents one who campaigns to help pass laws that support what is right, writes letters to newspaper editors, donates to shelters to aid the homeless, speaks up in community meetings, performs community service… all in the protective defense of her self and the others who share her community or planet. She may volunteer at animal shelters, she may sign petitions for conservation of land and water, she may give time as a hospice worker, she may encourage others to actually see and understand looming global issues of climate change, overpopulation, or wild animal poaching. Warriors can stand up for a myriad of causes and can try to make a difference, however small.

“She Warrior” can multitask, as I can. I am a homemaker, a partner, a theater director, an acting teacher, a mask art maker, a hospice volunteer, and I will campaign for someone I feel will work honestly, ethically, and politically to create positive change. There are many “He Warriors” and “She Warriors” on this planet and I'm grateful to every one of them for stepping up to the defense plate.