Maria
Braun
PRIOR LAKE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL｜Savage, MN
TEACHER: Brian Perry
3-D Art and Design
Big Teeth｜5.5 x 13 x 1.5 in.
Idea: Wanted to have something human, like a mouth, but also animalistic with big teeth.
Material(s): acrylic paints, moldable plastics, liquid latex, tissues, cotton balls, Mod Podge, hot glue, fabric mask
Process(es): made plastic teeth and fitted them to the mask, painted it and added drool and blood.
The question that leads my investigation is 'what lies under the mask?' In a time where many people are wearing facial coverings that lead us to not be able to see the bottom half of their faces the mind wanders to what could be going on under there. As someone who is a special effects makeup artist, I thought that I could use my skills in makeup prosthetic making to guide my inquiry.
Maria Braun
Student statement
Student
statement
Maria Braun
The inspiration for this piece was that I wanted to create the jaws of a monster. I have made several special effects makeup masks for my job as a haunt actor and was inspired to make this drooling maw. I constructed the teeth out of moldable plastic before sculpting the mask out of many layers of liquid latex and tissues.
The latex base then dries before I hot glued it to the cotton face mask material. After all the pieces are attached I painted the mask and added the details of drool and blood on the teeth. Due to my history as a makeup artist I knew I wanted to definitely wear this, so using more liquid latex I attached it to my face and painted my face to match than added some creepy colored contacts to match the blood spattered effect.
Detail
Untitled, View 2
The masks are created with liquid latex and tissues or cotton balls, I sculpted them on a glass head that I was gifted ... [I] showcase my whole idea ... incorporating my skills as a makeup artist and turning my art into wearable art on my face.
Teacher
statement
Brian Perry
For Maria’s sustained investigation, she chose to combine three-dimensional art-making materials with her interest in theatrical and transformative makeup art. Her creations mostly centered around the human face and how a face mask can change how we see ourselves and can also be a base on which to make creative work. Maria’s masks on their own are incredibly detailed and skillfully crafted works of sculpture. When the masks are worn with accompanying makeup, this helps to create self-portraits that are extremely expressive, visually captivating, and even terrifying. Maria’s work explores ideas of how humanity has had to look at what really frightens us through this last year and does so with accomplished skill in the creation of sculptural forms and the use of color and texture.
Maria Braun
