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Brionez Designs was officially established in 1990. But Josephine has been creating masks and other designs since her youth. Jo was born and raised in Albuquerque, N.M. and has traveled extensively. She has shown both nationally and internationally. Nationally, she has exhibited in CA., AZ., NM., MI.., GA., & FL. Internationally, she has exhibited in Tubingin, Germany and Seoul, Korea. Presently Jo shows twice a year at the Contemporary Market in Santa Fe, NM. She limits her shows to allow her to fully focus on each piece without the need to mass produce her work. Jo takes pride in this fact and, as such, her work is difficult to find.
Each mask takes approximately 1 to 2 months to complete. A few have taken longer. The mask has already been completed in thought before the process even starts. A base material and a leather backing is used to form the features of the mask. Once the mask is shaped, the base feathers are first glued, then stitched in place. Any beading and additional leather work is also completed at this stage. The bead-work is hand strung, bead by bead. Next, the entire nose section is stitched in place. Finally, the feature feathers are selected and also stitched to the mask to form the intricate designs you see.
Jo’s skill in mask-making are self taught and continue to develop with each new piece created. Her inspirations are pulled from experiences in life and reflect the insight and emotions we share daily. The effect Josephine hopes to draw is the ability to lose ones self in thought as he or she views her creations. Each person will take something different from experiencing a Brionez Design.
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