New Mask Making Workshop

The Summer Course Catalog for the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Continuing Studies is out. On page five you will find a new class being offered this July: Mask Making Workshop instructed by Branden Byers. Click on the catalog image to go to the online registration and description.

There is only room for 10 participants so register early!

Here are the details:
Make your own mask to wear on your face or display on a wall. Build an armature, sculpt in clay, and create the final product using brown paper towels and glue. Paint the finished mask or enjoy the natural brown colors. This technique class focuses on proper paper size, glue consistency, and ease of application. Form a comfortable mask that will last for years.

Saturday, July 10th & 17th from 9AM - 2PM and
Wednesday, July 14th & 21st from 6:30-9:30PM.


This will be an enjoyable workshop and a great opportunity to learn the process of making a high-quality mask. Not only will you make one mask in the workshop, you will be sent with clay and armature to make more masks in your own studio or home once the workshop is complete. Contact me with any questions you have about the workshop but sign up and register through the Continuing Studies website.

Back in Madison

The past two weeks have been busy visiting with family and friends. I spent last week in Milwaukee working on the design of Isaac Newton is Our DJ by a new theatre group called the Hinterlands. The show was great and there was a good audience with some fun group interaction.

Above is a photo of the rehearsal space and the giant apple that needed to be constructed in 1.5 days. Definitely not even close to my best paper mache construction, but it was quick and dirty and got the job done.

You can view more photos of the event on this flickr set (photos by James Carlson): http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamescarlson/sets/72157623181660930/

Jaw Half-Mask in clay inspired by sensory cortex

Here is a photo of a new type of mask that I am experimenting with. I have seen this kind of mask made by a friend and fellow mask maker but this is my first attempt. The big lips were inspired by the diagrams of the sensory cortex that show the importance of the mouth and hands in relation to the the rest of the body in brain processing.

I am interested to see how expressive this mask will be once paper-mached given that the performer will have full use of the eyes and brow. I like it and it was a fun mask to sculpt. Maybe I will experiment with a few more of these "jaw" masks in the near future.

This mask is still a work in progress. Originally, I had intended to sculpt this character as a full-face mask, but one I finished the upper lip, I knew I could go no lower. I tend not to make many half-masks but I am beginning to experiment with them. They can be quite enjoyable to sculpt and equally as enjoyable to perform.

New gallery postings along with a puppet blast from the past

Noodles is here to announce five new masks officially posted to the gallery. Even more will be posted soon.

This photo of Noodles was taken today along with mask photos for the gallery. He was a puppet I designed and built a little over a year ago for a collaborative performance piece. He was my co-host on a crazy psychedelic cooking show gone wrong. I figured since I had everything set up, I might as well get a good picture of a puppet. As mentioned before, I have not been doing much with puppets lately. Of course, it was puppets that led me to masks. It seems often times that "masks and puppets" are mentioned together. They have much in common in performance and in creation.

Puppets have been on my mind lately though as I am participating as part of a design team for an upcoming performance in Milwaukee come January. I'm sure I will have more to share later this month, but for now, I will let you know that there will be some overhead projected puppet madness in this show. Stay tuned for more info...

Neoprene Neutral Mask in the works

Here is a sneak peak at another mask I am working on; this one cast in neoprene rubber...



It still needs finishing touches with a rotary tool and also paint and straps. But soon it will be a finished mask and my third attempt at creating a neutral mask.

Long nose and long chin mask. Man or old woman?

I will write more about this guy (or it an old woman?) soon...



I should also have the gallery updated soon so that this mask along with the others in the background have proper display. One of those masks in the background is neoprene, the rest are paper mache.