People have been making masks and wearing masks for all kinds of reasons for thousands of years. We wear them as a form of entertainment like in a play, we wear them to disguise ourselves like in a costume party. Famous people wear masks or disguises so as not to be recognized. Masks were worn during Greek mythology times. They are worn as tools for telling a story during a rite of passage or recreating an event that happened in the past.
If you’re anything like me, craft stores are the equivalent of a hardware store for some of my other friends. I would say Amen. But I do know a lot of women who just simply can’t help themselves when it comes to stopping at a hardware store. But for me it’s a craft store. Anytime I’m in another city my radar goes off and I instantly can spot the craft stores, whether they be large national chains or small mom-and-pop stores. I do like to visit those “mom and pop shops” when I’m in other cities just because it’s fun and I fully support small businesses!
The Japanese art of Gyotaku, or fish printing, is one of my favorite things to do with my art students. It’s so unique and fun that everyone smiles when the rubbery, bendy fish bodies come out of the box. These guys are so lifelike, with details on the fins, realistic scales as well as fine details around the eyes.