3/19/2024 0 Comments Sexy plague doctorThose students have made some charismatic works of their own. It’s plain to see what drew students to this generous, playful, emotionally effulgent teacher, and it’s equally apparent why so many local artists continue to cite him as an inspiration. Like a pot on boil, the show bubbles over and into the Hepburn Hall corridor, where Jones’s lively prints goose up an otherwise staid administrative floor. ![]() Curators Casey Mathern of William Paterson University (where Jones was educated) and Midori Yoshimoto of NJCU (where Jones holds an emeritus teaching position) have filled the Lemmerman Gallery with paintings, cutouts, silkscreens, lithographs, and sculptures that exhibit the artist’s characteristic vivacity, gutsiness, occasional combativeness, and warmth. He’s been making art in the Garden State for the better part of six decades - he’s got a studio in a Bergen-Lafayette church - so he’s got plenty to show off, including several exciting pieces that even Jones aficionados won’t know. “The Universe of Ben Jones,” which will hang at the City University until April 3, lets the master strut his stuff. He’s not an influencer, he’s an influence - and a sumptuous pair of shows at the University galleries gives his students (and his audience) an opportunity to acknowledge that debt and say thanks. Among his pupils and protégés are some of the region’s most celebrated painters, printmakers, and sculptors. Ben Jones, 82, has taught at New Jersey City University (2039 Kennedy Blvd.) for forty-three years, providing guidance, perspective, and training to several generations of aspirants. Yet some artists cast shadows too long to ignore. Coaches are mainly confined to the sidelines, when we think about them at all. We like to imagine that we’re standing in the presence of something that sprung from the head of its creator. Originality means stepping out of the mentor’s shadow. It’s understandable: nobody wants to be called a copycat. Both colors have black throat covers and gray lenses.Artists don’t always like to acknowledge their forerunners. We offer Ichabod in both Black and White. The bottom of the beak is just as elaborately embellished as are the sides, plus there are five additional vent holes. The beak was cast hollow so that it is lightweight. The entire mask weighs just 390 gm (less than 14 oz) and is comfortable to wear. The wearer can look out easily (even in interior lighting), yet no one can look in. The lenses are like dark glasses, and made of 1/8" acrylic. The headband strap has a large piece of foam on the front that goes against the forehead for comfort. ![]() The beak is held on with nine machine screws, and the eyepieces are held on using wire. The mask is all handstitched with waxed thread. The beak has two large nostrils which serve as ventilation holes for easy breathing. They have been polished which brings out the bas relief pattern embellishing them. The beak and eyepieces were cast in cold cast aluminum. The straps are adjustable by means of three buckles, and the mask will fit a head between a small 21" all the way up to an extra large 24". It is made of 4-5 and 5-6 oz vegetable tanned leather, all top grain cowhide. You can follow the the original design and construction of this mask on my blog here: Dr. The leather was dyed violet, then antiqued black over that to give the mask a look of antiquity. I also altered the pattern a bit, giving Dr. I added an additional leather strap and buckle going around the neck to hold the mask tighter to the face, and I hand-stitched a leather surround that runs around the perimeter of the mask, using decorative domed rivets for a stronger look. I built two different eyepieces, both of cold cast metal and with acrylic lenses. I narrowed the beak down somewhat and added a cold cast metal tip, along with leather trim. Beulenpest ( which means bubonic plague). Within a week after finishing the Classic plague doctor mask I began construction on Dr. When I was working on my first plague doctor mask, making it as historically accurate as was practical, I kept thinking about how I could design and construct a steampunk version of the mask.
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