Sue Vanlaanen guessed it had been about 30 years since she last touched a piece of clay.
That didn’t stop the Vancouver resident from trying her hand at an unfamiliar medium Saturday, hoping to channel her creativity into a new form. As she worked, a featureless block of clay morphed into a face looking back at her.
“Artistic expression is good for the soul,” Vanlaanen said. “Especially on a rainy Saturday.”
Vanlaanen was part of a small group that got a glimpse into the art of Native American mask-making during a workshop at the Pearson Air Museum. Artists Bill Rutherford and Lillian Pitt shared their own work and discussed the craft before participants ventured to create their own masks. Pitt also molded a new mask during a demonstration as attendees crowded around to watch the renowned Native American artist work. The event was organized by Confluence, a Vancouver-based nonprofit.
Often, the process of making a mask leads to unexpected places, Pitt said. The mask reveals itself as much as the artist creates it, she said.
“You think you’re going to go out and do something,” said Pitt, whose ancestors lived in and near the Columbia River Gorge. “And then you go out to do it, and something else happens. … You have to learn to trust your gut.”
Rutherford, of Portland, displayed a collection of masks he created during the past six months in response to a challenge from Pitt to explore his own Native heritage. The project took on a life of its own, he said, and resulted in a strong emotional investment in the work.
Rutherford created one mask from the wide-eyed image of “She Who Watches,” the famous ancient petroglyph in the Columbia River Gorge. The rest are Rutherford’s creation, evoking Chinook spirits and legends. Each represents a starkly different feel, often punctuated with brightly colored paint.
Through the process, “the rest of them started to identify themselves,” Rutherford said.
The masks made by Saturday’s workshop participants varied in their approach. Some were modeled after Pitt’s demonstration. Others drew their inspiration from elsewhere, including one shaped as the face of an owl. Confluence planned to take most of the masks to be fired and finished for each participant to pick up later.
Pitt has created various forms of art for decades, including elements of the Vancouver Land Bridge. As she methodically formed her demonstration mask Saturday, Pitt used her fingers to shape its nose, cheekbones and eyes. She gently used shells, bark and other natural items to create its texture.
When she finished, Pitt thanked the clay for allowing her to turn it into a work of art.
