Picasso in Devizes
Art just goes round and around. Picasso was heavily influenced by the work of African artists, especially in the masks he created and so we now get to borrow from Picasso. Artist and ceramicist Jane Johnson has been working with the Devizes group creating clay masks in the style of Picasso (and African Art).
“They first designed the masks with 3D scrap collage onto card, then using terracotta clay they put together the mask shape with flat slabs of clay with the designs to guide them. Once fired they painted the masks with bright emulsion paints and fixed wire to each mask so they can be hung on the wall and finally waxed them using a tinted chalk paint wax.”
“Everyone enjoyed working with the clay, painting the masks, making the scrap collages and discussing Picasso’s artwork although their views varied enormously and there was a lot to be said about the prints I showed them. Nobody in the group really liked Picasso’s art and there were a lot of comments like “what a mess that one is!” which made everyone laugh a lot, but despite this they all really got into the project.”
