Artist of the Day: Be Careful What You Wish For - Peggy Bjerken

be careful what you wish for peggy bjerken unmasked

Be careful what you wish for has been the theme of my working life the last two years.

I finally understand the saying, thank god for unanswered prayers.

I'm not regretting the path that got me here. I'm enjoying myself and am very grateful for these new opportunities, and for the struggle.  This period of transition, something I wanted very much and actively sought, feels very much like an incarnation of Rumi's The Guest House, where everyday a new guest arrives, sometimes a meanness, sometimes a joy. Some arrivals have literally cleared me out, but new arrivals have knocked on the door bearing gifts.

What these years have taught me is to ask the question, what is it I desire, and to wait for an answer that is true. I am still listening.

artist bio: Some of you may wonder why I'm putting so much energy into the making of masks. Well, after years of being a maker of many different things, I finally began to dabble in masks (inspired by my own collection of masks from around the world). It dawned on me, after the first few that I made, that a path was opening up before me. I knew that I didn't want to copy foreign masks or even to borrow ideas from them. I did want to be a part of the mask tradition. Thus began my journey. Very early on, around 1998, I decided that I would make "American" masks with contemporary ideas - my contribution to the tradition. After a while, the masks became more and more personal which seemed a natural progression. I continue making them with the hope that some of the ideas I present are universal. Please take a look at my portfolio website and blog for more information.
http://www.maskwoman.com and http://the-maskwoman.blogspot.com.