I do end up taking the occasional art class; sometimes it’s to learn a new skill, sometimes it’s to improve a skill, sometimes it’s just to be sociable, and sometimes it’s to meet the instructor (after all, that’s how I got started in blogging). So I had signed up for this class with an artist whose work I admire, it was called “Making Armor”. What exactly this meant, I had no idea, but I forked over my money and showed up on the appointed day.

What we were doing that day was making masks and possibly helmets. The instructor was quite shy, the instructions were to use the basic patterns and make whatever we wanted with them. We were using foam sheets and had a heat gun to shape the masks. He said, you can shape them over your leg after they’re heated up, of course I was the only person wearing shorts. And as usual in a class, I thought of all the stuff I had at home that I needed or wanted. So I worked along as best I could, without any idea of how it might turn out.

I didn’t want to just make a random thing, I wanted it to be part of the series that I had previously done, so here’s the start of it.

The crows have featured in a number of pieces that I have made. And the background reflects images from southwestern chief’s blankets.

This was a piece that I made inspired by Custer’s guidon. He lost, so I made this piece for the winner, incorporating the personal symbols of the winner, lightning bolts, hailstones and a hawk. I put the stars in because the enemy did not stay defeated for long.

So here’s my finished piece and I must say that I’m rather pleased with it.

And the second piece, which has hailstones, lightning and feathers in the back to represent the bird spirit.

This piece is by the artist, and reflects a bit of his personal obsessions. I would say that everyone in the workshop made interesting pieces, but I’m glad that I pushed through doubt and uncertainty to make the sort of art that means something to me.