Unmasking the Wild Blog.
Hi, I’m Isobelle Carmody. Welcome to the
Unmasking the Wild Blog
photograph by Cat Sparks.
This site will tell you all about the Unmasking the Wild Exhibition and you can take part in and follow the auction of the 22 amazing artworks over the next two months. to raise money for The Children in Crisis Fund run by the international Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) and The China Bear Rescue Centre in Chengdu, operated by Animals Asia.
Why two charities and why these two? Find out by following the About the Charities link on the menu bar above and the Dreamscape image on the sidebar.
The 22 masks were first unveiled at a Masked Ball – a two part day-long extravaganza held to celebrate the publication of The Red Queen – the last book in the Obernewtyn Chronicles – and the end of a journey in writing that took more than four decades to complete. It took place at the wonderfully evocative cobbled Meatworks venue in Melbourne, in November last year. You can read about the launch, and see a gallery of fantastic photographs from the event, by following the Starve the Sea link in the sidebar.
That is where the music you hear on the Home page comes from. The song you hear was one of seven created to serve as part of a soundscape for the day of the Masked Ball. All were inspired by the Obernewtyn Chronicles, and they were written and performed by Adelaidethegirl. (You can find out more about the Dreamscapes CD project, too, on the Starve the Sea page.)
You can see all of the masks and the makers on this site, but you can only bid on them when the maker is matched to their mask. One maker will be matched to their mask every two or three days during the course of the two month auction, on a page that will introduce him or her and their other work, and in some cases, you will be able to get a glimpse of the work that went into the mask.
You can make you bid when the mask you like is matched to its maker, or wait until all of the masks are matched to their makers, and THEN make your bid. The last bids will be taken on June 30. The auction ends at midnight, whereupon the highest bidders for each mask will be notified and asked to make their payment. Three days later, on July 3, the LUCKY owners of the masks will be announced.
This will also mean the end of the fabulous Unmasking the Wild Exhibition at the new Geelong Regional Library, so make sure you get to Geelong at least once during the two month auction, and see the masks all together. The library also plans a number of themed book displays to welcome each new mask maker that is revealed, and some wonderful events linked to the displays. We will publicise these in the Latest News from the Red Queen blog posts that will unfold here, for the next two months, so please visit occasionally to see what has been happening and what will happen, and to make a bid or to see if your bid has been topped. Please share this site link widely and encourage people to share it further and to bid on the masks. I would love the work that has gone into compiling this collection of masks to be rewarded by an awesome amount of money we can hand over to our two worthy charities, to help them further their work.
Thank you for your support and involvement!
Isobelle Carmody
(aka The Red Queen 🙂
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For two weeks more …
At last the bootleg CD of the soundscape Adelaidethegirl created based on the Obernewtyn Chronicles is ready to go! Here is a glimpse of the CD itself, in its case. And here is the talented musical magician, Hori Matthews, who burned the CDs, created the stickers and cover and basically turned the idea into the […]
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Last look at Cathy Larsen Unmasked
the Creative Cathy Larsen . . . The mask that Cathy made . . . Title: Metamorphosis This is what the mask looked like before Cathy decorated it. . . . Cathy on her making her mask “I wanted to show the many aspects and interconnectedness of the wild – plants, animals, […]
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A last look at Matt Ottley Unmasked
The Multi-talented Matt Ottley . . . . . . The mask that Matt made ‘ The Music of Life ‘ Before Matt unleashed his art magic, […]
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A last look at Ann James Unmasked
The Amazing Ann James . . . The mask that Ann made . “The Company we Keep” which looked like this, before she worked her magpie magic on it Ann on her mask making “Of all the mask design/shapes that we could choose from, I definitely wanted the long-nosed one. Apart from the fabulous sweeping […]
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A last look at Nick Bland Unmasked
Meet the Noble Nick Bland . . . The mask that Nick made. . . . Title: The Green Spirit This is what the mask looked like before Nick worked his art magic on it. Nick on making his mask “When Isabelle asked me to paint a Venetian Mask, I jumped […]
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A last look at Cat Sparks Unmasked
The Cosmic Cat Sparks . . . The mask that Cat made . . . Before, it looked like this . . . About Cat Sparks Besides being a close friend – here is a selfie she took of us in Sydney to prove it – Cat is aterrific photographer as […]
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A last look at Ken Carmody Unmasked
This is the Knightly Ken Carmody . . . This is the Mask Ken made . . . Title: The Last Winged Thing. . . . Ken on making his mask I started out by making sketches on paper. Based on the sketches I redrew the mask on the computer, then printed […]
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A last look at Anna Walker Unmasked
The Astounding Anna Walker . . . . . . The mask that Anna made Title: The Wisdom of Owls before she worked her art magic, the mask looked like this: About Anna Walker Anna was born in Sydney, Australia and grew up in Melbourne. She completed Certificate of Art and Design, […]
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A last look at Anne Spudvilas Unmasked
The Splendiferous Anne Spudvilas . . . The mask that Anne Made . . . Title: Scarlet Dreams before she decorated it, it looked like this . . . Anne on the making of her mask “I loved every minute of making this mask, hunting […]
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A last look at Phoebe Robinson Unmasked
This is the phenomenal Phoebe Robinson . . . This is the mask Phoebe made for The Red Queen . . . Title: The Red Queen This is what the mask looked like before Phoebe began to weave her magic. Phoebe on making her mask “These are some of the images in my […]
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A last look at Mark Mc Bride Unmasked
This is the magnetic Mark Mc Bride . . . This is the magnificent mask Mark made . . . ‘Transformation’ This is what the mask looked like before mark exerted his creative muscle: About Mark Mc Bride. Marc McBride has illustrated over fifty book covers and countless magazines, as well as […]
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A last look at Ken Searle Unmasked
This is the S0-talented Ken Searle . . . This is the mask Ken Made . . . Title: The Golden Mean before ken decorated it, the mask looked like this . . . Ken on making art “I see my city paintings as maps, and also as portraits,” Ken said. “My aim is […]
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A last look at Jiri Tibor Novak Unmasked
The Jovian Jiri Tibor Novak . . . This is the mask that Jiri made . . . This is what the mask looked like before Jiri decorated it. About Jiří Tibor Novak Jiri is a Czech -born Australian artist, illustrator, and writer. He arrived in Australia in 1970 from what was then Czechoslovakia after the […]
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One last look at Tina Carmody Unmasked
The Terrifically Talented Tina Carmody . . . This is the mask Tina made This is what the mask looked like before she worked her art magic on it: Tina on making her mask. “I was delighted to be asked by Isobelle about making a mask for the Masked Ball Book Launch of […]
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A last look at Bruce Whatley Unmasked
The Bountiful Bruce Whatley . . . . The mask that Bruce made . . . Title: il Dottore Before Bruce worked his art magic, the mask looked like this . . . About Bruce Whatley Bruce is one of Australia’s most highly regarded and talented authors and illustrators for children, both […]
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A last look at Lucia Masciullo Unmasked
This is the lovely Lucia Masciullo . . . This is the mask Lucia made . . . Title: Earth goddess. This is what the mask looked […]
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A last look at Coral Tulloch Unmasked
The Captivating Coral Tulloch . . . The mask that Coral made . . . Title: Carnivale It looked like this before she worked her magic on it . . . Coral on her mask. “Masks = Venice! “When Isobelle approached me to paint a mask, I was transported back to Venice 30 years ago. I […]
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a last look at Craig Smith Unmasked
The Charming Craig Smith . . . The mask that Craig made . . . Call of the Wild Before Craig decorated it, it looked like this: . . . About Craig Smith Craig grew up in the Adelaide Hills, where his family ran two shoe shops. Paints and brushes were always around as […]
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A last look at James Foley Unmasked
The Jubilant James Foley . . . The mask that James’ made . . . ‘Asteroid B 612′ The mask before James worked his art magic on it. . . . James on his mask making. “When Isobelle told me the theme I immediately went into cartoonist mode. As a kid […]
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A last look at Peter Carnavas Unmasked
This is the charismatic Peter Carnavas . . . This is the mask Peter made . . . Title: The Land is Us Before Peter worked his art magic on it, the mask looked like this Peter on making his mask “I was thrilled to be asked by Isobelle to decorate a […]
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One last Look at Kevin Burgemeestre Unmasked
This is the Astonishingly Talented Kevin Burgemeestre . . . This is the mask Kevin made. Title: The Messenger. This is what it looked like before he worked his art magic on it. . . . Kevin […]
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A last look at Alison Lester Unmasked
The Amazing Alison Lester . . . The mask that Alison made . . . Title: The Winged Spirit Before it looked like this: About Alison Lester Alison grew up on a farm overlooking the sea and first rode a horse as a baby in her father’s arms. She still lives in the country […]
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A last long look at Shaun Tan Unmasked
This is the supremely-Talented Shaun Tan . . . This is is the magnificent mask Shaun made. Before Shaun unleashed his talent, the mask looked like this: Shaun on making the mask. “I created this mask very intuitively, in the same manner of a series of sculptures I recently […]
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