Counting Blessings, 2010
Flying Leap Art Space
54 1/2 N Main
Fairfield, Iowa 52556
641-472-0490
Mask, Meaning & Metamorphosis
April 1 - May 29, 2011
New gallery hours: Wed - Sun, 12:30pm - 5pm, Wednesday evenings 7:45 to 9:45
Special events: First Fridays ArtWalk, April 1, May 6, 6:30pm - 10pm
Entry to Flying Leap Art Space.
This assemblage, called Lintel, acts as an entry piece to the show. Made in 2011. Sold
This is Donna Colby, the gallery owner and director of Flying Leap Art Space. She has been a wonderfully supportive, generous, and creative person to work with.
Lady Amherst, 2011
The Seeker, 2011, Sold
The Wild One, 2011, Sold
The Trickster, 2011
The Firekeeper, 2011, Sold
The Beachcomber, 2011, Sold
The Elders, 2011
Intaglio print I made in 1995 while studying at the U of MN. This piece was added because it relates well to The Elders mask (above) and gives a little glimpse of how images sometimes repeat themselves throughout an artist's work. Sold
The Protector, 2011
Closeup of The Protector featuring protea repens flowers, shark teeth, and a face covered in tiny shells.
The Harvester, 2010, NFS
Donna Colby, Flying Leap owner and director, invited my husband Steve and my inlaws, Jackson and Virginia Tiffany, to show an example of their work as a part of this exhibit.
The gallery is also currently exhibiting work of a number of other talented artists. For information about the entire show, visit
Shape Shifter, 1968, Virginia Tiffany, (left), and Space Warp on Bay Drive, 2000, Jackson Tiffany
Altered State Park, 2011, Steve Tiffany
Artist Statement
These mask assemblages, made primarily of natural materials, reflect my love of nature, design, psychology and spirituality. In this body of work I'm exploring the face of nature: the primitive, the sacred, the mysterious. I have been influenced by mask-makers of many cultures including African and Native American. Rustic furniture makers are another source of inspiration. I've combined these influences to create my own designs. In these masks, facial expressions and features, if present at all, are only vaguely suggested, and much attention is given to the environment that houses the face. I hope my work encourages the viewer to slow down and take a closer look at the unique line of a particular branch, the spiral formation of a seashell or the texture and pattern designs of a seed pod. Perhaps the work can act as a mirror to both the artist and the viewer, reflecting our most basic, primal and natural identities.
I have a BFA in studio arts with a focus on ceramics and a BA in psychology from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. I love to work in a variety of media and feel happiest when I allow myself to follow my instincts as to which project to work on next.
This project is funded, in part, by the Iowa Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.