So I Like Masks

I have been fascinated with masks for quite some time. It started when I was a kid after I saw John Carpenter's Halloween, Halloween 3 and few of the Friday the 13th movies. My parents were the type that didn't really want me watching scary movies but at the same time they didn't forbid it. I loved how creepy masks looked and this really intrigued me. From that point on I wanted to wear a mask every year for Halloween. At that time I only knew of mass produced masks that were sold at retail stores during the Halloween season. As a kid you don't really know what a good quality mask is; you just know if you like it or not. My mother was nice enough to take me mask shopping every year and if I was to get a mask I remember it had to be creepy. Nothing nice or cute to her dismay.

The first mask I bought on my own was a Don Post Michael Myers (I still have it although it is in poor shape) at a seasonal costume shop. They had a lot of nicer masks that I didn't see in Shopko or Kmart. Then in high school a friend introduced me to Death Studios. He showed me one of their color catalogues and as I looked through it, I was captivated. I had never seen masks of their quality or selection before. My interest in masks grew and I started buying a few high quality masks. Later I found Darkside Studios, another fine mask company. Soon I was discovering other independent mask makers on the Internet. I remember frequently visiting their websites and spending hours staring at all their different masks. They all looked so good it was hard to decide what to buy. When I made the decision to start collecting seriously, I narrowed my interest down to scarecrows and pumpkins. There is something just simplistic yet creepy about them. In my opinion, scarecrows and pumpkins make up the essence of Halloween, just like witches, ghosts and goblins.

During this time I have had the pleasure of getting to know many of the mask artists out there. I have tremendous respect for their art and enjoy watching the new sculpts they create. I hope to collect masks long into the future and for as long as mask artists continue to make them!