Mask-making Karen brings leather to life
Whether they are painted to look like the devil, or covered in flowers, some people can't help being scared of Karen Reay-Davies's masks.
"A lot of people find masks quite scary even if they are painted with butterflies and flowers," says mother-of-two Karen from Stafford.
It is the fact they hide the face, which makes them seem quite sinister but I don't see the creepy side of the masks."
The artist is currently busy at work creating a dragon mask. Some are commissioned for theatre, others for photo shoots. And people also use them for mask parties. Karen says: "I often don't find out exactly where they go. I recently sent three to the Globe Theatre, which all had a nature theme. They may be used for a Midsummer Night's Dream, but you are never definitely told where they will end up.
Karen makes the masks in her workshop at home on Cannock Road in Stafford where she lives with her husband Ewan and two children.
"The main subjects I enjoyed at school were art, literature and drama and so I got into acting," says Karen, who grew up in Bradford, Yorkshire. "I became involved backstage making props and that led to work at Bradford Festival painting backdrops and making theatrical items. I did a course at Halifax College in prop-making which involved a trip to Venice to see the traditional masks.
"The first mask I made was out of papier mache and then I saw a TV programme on a man who was making masks the traditional way on a wooden form using leather."
Karen set up her firm Antrobus and Grimm eight years ago.
"You can buy mass-produced masks for 10p in the shops and it is nice to make something special using the traditional methods," she says. "There are several ways of shaping leather such as using a wooden form or hitting it with tools. First you have to wet the leather, which breaks the fabric up and makes it flexible. Then you set it in the shape, varnish it and use leather acrylics to give it some colour. It takes a couple of days to make a mask and I usually charge between £90 and £150."
Karen gets a lot of her inspiration from museums and going to local beauty-spots. "Taking the dog for a walk across Cannock Chase will inspire me to create an item like the leaf-shaped masks," she says.
On her website she makes out the firm is run by a Mr Antrobus and Ms Adelaide Grimm who employ a team of 'minions' to make the masks.
"The name of my business, Antrobus and Grimm, came about because I wanted something quirky," she says.
* The Fantasy Masks of Antrobus and Grimm are on display at Walsall Leather Museum until April 25, and Karen will hold a mask-making session on February 7, costing £12.50. Call 01922 721153.
