{"id":17583,"date":"2018-07-01T01:10:12","date_gmt":"2018-07-01T06:10:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=18586"},"modified":"2018-07-04T11:21:25","modified_gmt":"2018-07-04T16:21:25","slug":"interview-with-artist-jassmond-masters-bell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2018\/07\/01\/interview-with-artist-jassmond-masters-bell\/","title":{"rendered":"Magical Items Can be Found at Fairy Behind the Door An Interview with Artist Jassmond Masters-Bell"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Fairies. Gnomes. Greenman. The moon. And lots and lots of doors. Hundreds of original, intricately designed and brightly painted items are for sale at Fairy Behind the Door<\/a> on Etsy.<\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt all happened by accident,\u201d Jassmond Masters-Bell<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

said. \u201cI just happened to see a small fairy door mold 10 years ago, and I bought it for myself just to have a little door in my garden I was establishing at the time. I love creating gardens and I was just looking for accessories to go into the garden. This was when the fairy garden explosion happened<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I molded it and it came out beautifully, I showed my first molded fairy door to my husband and he said. \u2018Why don\u2019t you make more and see if you can sell them?\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

She did and got rave reviews at a Ren Faire. She made more and put them on eBay. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey just went.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Although <\/span><\/span><\/span>Jassmond<\/span><\/span><\/span> comes from an artistic family, working long days in broadcasting \u2013 sometimes 100-hour weeks \u2013 left her no time for artistic endeavors, b<\/span><\/span><\/span>ut the doors continued to captivate her and so she began making them at home between shifts of her daily job. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a very messy procedure,\u201d she said of working with concrete and having dust all around the house all the time.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

When the broadcasting company employing <\/span><\/span><\/span>Jassmond<\/span><\/span><\/span> folded in 2010, she wanted to continue working in the magical fairy world. Moving from Maryland to Colorado\u2019s Rocky Mountains allowed her to have a workshop where she could fully concentrate on more of her own designs and whimsical ideas, finding a pathway to a new career.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I am in my workshop, I can get locked away down there for hours on end in my own little area \u2026 and hope my brain will create something wonderful,\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span>Jassmond<\/span><\/span><\/span> said, adding only her cats are allowed in.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Through the years she tried various compounds until recently finding PermaStone.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful thing to work with. It\u2019s crack and frost resistant. It lasts. It\u2019s soft and light,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The process is involved. She sculpts an item from clay that must be dried slowly over se<\/span><\/span><\/span>veral days. Layers of latex are applied to make the mold that is then filled with a <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>concrete mix or stone compound<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>, painted in vibrant detail and sealed to withstand the elements. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Each product has a little story <\/span><\/span><\/span>that<\/span><\/span><\/span> gives it some fantasy as well as a personality. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very fussy about my work. It doesn\u2019t go out unless I\u2019m absolutely positively sure this is what I want to represent me.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The description for one weathered blue door reads, \u201cThis Fairy door belongs to Mrs Odina. She owns a Nights Fairy dormitory where she allows the traveling fairy to stop by and sleepover before they continue on their journey. She runs a tight tree house, her fees are fair but you have to bring your own berries and goats milk for breakfast. It says on the Door \u2018Fairies Sleeping\u2019 so be quiet when you pass by.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Not all doors open to fairy abodes. Take the purple<\/span><\/span><\/span> W<\/span><\/span><\/span>ibble door. It belongs \u201cto the tin<\/span><\/span><\/span>y Wi<\/span><\/span><\/span>bble people that live among the fae. They are very strange, cute but rarely seen. They usually are the ones that go hunting for \u2018Ambergris\u2019 mushrooms so that they can cultivate them and sell their perfume to the Fairies.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Jassmond<\/span><\/span><\/span> said, \u201cI love writing. I want to put what each symbol actually means. I want it to be very earth-like.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Accessories she has designed allow customers to create their own magical spaces with a selection of windows, flower pots, trellises, mailboxes, lanterns, trees, mushrooms, watering cans, bird baths, pathways and fences.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

From fairy doors, she moved onto other beloved objects such as dragon eggs and Buddha cats, which soon found themselves in saturated markets.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want my shop to look like somebody else\u2019s. I want to be original, so <\/span><\/span><\/span>that’s<\/span><\/span><\/span> what I\u2019m aiming for \u2013 to open up a range of things other people will not have. You get them by designing them yourself.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI look for things that people love all the time \u2026 like cats and dogs. People always want cats and dogs because cats and dogs are always part of the family. So I\u2019m expanding my cat range at the moment,\u201d she said of avoiding current fads.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

She does commission work as well, such as creating an animal in remembrance of a beloved pet that died. While she likes dogs, she loves cats, and painting them is one of the tasks she most likes.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A commissioned piece <\/span><\/span><\/span>Jassmond<\/span><\/span><\/span> recently began working on \u2013 a large one-of-a-kind plaque for a high priestess \u2013 is moving her more into the pagan world where she is quite comfortable.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/span><\/span>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have a lot of ideas and I really want to get those going\u201d she said of making more pagan symbols.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI would like to bring back some of the old pagan symbol<\/span><\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span><\/span> \u2026 Nature is not respected, I feel, in our culture. I would like to make people more aware that these symbols do actually mean something.\u201d Customers have also been asking her to add them to her shop. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

For instance, she said, \u201ca lot of people think the pentagram is a witchcraft symbol. It\u2019s not. It actually is a sign of protection, but a lot of people think it\u2019s a sign of evil. I think by doing more of these symbols I really would like to educate people about what these really are.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Jassmond<\/span><\/span><\/span> was somewhat surprised that most of her customers are adults. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s the kick I get out of it \u2013 that it\u2019s not just for kids. I get more adults approaching me for advice on how to create a fairy garden for all the family if not for themselves.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Inventory is limited.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I\u2019m making something I try to make two or three. The reason why I do that is one year I made a door for a customer. I was packing it up and I dropped it. \u2026Since that accident happened I always have a backup and that backup now becomes stock. I always try to have at least one.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Everything is infused with her own love and magic, and customer reviews bear that out.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Items range from <\/span><\/span><\/span>1-14 inches and from $9.99-$110.00<\/span><\/span><\/span>. Th<\/span><\/span><\/span>ose in stock ship sooner than those requiring casting, painting and finishing. She welcomes custom work as well.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

You can visit Jassmond <\/a><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>Masters-Bell<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> and see her work<\/a> at her Etsy<\/a> shop Fairy Behind the Door<\/a> on her site: <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.etsy.com\/shop\/FairybehindtheDoor?ref=si_shop<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Be sure to check out Jassmond\u2019s Facebook<\/a> Page at:<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/FAIRYBEHINDTHEDOOR\/<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

About the Author:<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Lynn Woike<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0was 50 \u2013 divorced and living on her own for the first time \u2013 before she consciously began practicing as a self taught solitary witch. She draws on an eclectic mix of old ways she has studied \u2013 from her Sicilian and Germanic heritage to Zen and astrology, the fae, Buddhism, Celtic, the Kabbalah, Norse and Native American \u2013 pulling from each as she is guided. She practices yoga, reads Tarot and uses Reiki. From the time she was little, she has loved stories, making her job as the editor of two monthly newspapers seem less than the work it is because of the stories she gets to tell. She lives with her large white cat, Pyewacket, in central Connecticut. You can follow her boards on\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Pinterest<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>, and write to her at woikelynn\u00a0at gmail\u00a0dot com.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 Fairies. Gnomes. Greenman. The moon. And lots and lots of doors. Hundreds of original, intricately designed and brightly painted items are for sale at Fairy Behind the Door on Etsy. \u201cIt all happened by accident,\u201d Jassmond Masters-Bell said. \u201cI just happened to see a small fairy door mold 10 years ago, and I bought it for myself just to have a little door in my garden I was establishing at the time. I love creating gardens and I was just looking for accessories to go into the garden. This was when the fairy garden explosion happened \u201cWhen I molded it and it came out beautifully, I showed my first molded fairy door to my husband and he said. \u2018Why don\u2019t you make more and see if you can sell them?\u2019\u201d She did and got rave reviews at a Ren Faire. She made more and put them on eBay. \u201cThey just went.\u201d Although Jassmond comes from an artistic family, working long days in broadcasting \u2013 sometimes 100-hour weeks \u2013 left her no time for artistic endeavors, but the doors continued to captivate her and so she began making them at home between shifts of her daily job. \u201cIt was a very messy procedure,\u201d she said of working with concrete and having dust all around the house all the time. When the broadcasting company employing Jassmond folded in 2010, she wanted to continue working in the magical fairy world. Moving from Maryland to Colorado\u2019s Rocky Mountains allowed her to have a workshop where she could fully concentrate on more of her own designs and whimsical ideas, finding a pathway to a new career. \u201cWhen I am in my workshop, I can get locked away down there for hours on end in my own little area \u2026 and hope my brain will create something wonderful,\u201d Jassmond said, adding only her cats are allowed in. Through the years she tried various compounds until recently finding PermaStone. \u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful thing to work with. It\u2019s crack and frost resistant. It lasts. It\u2019s soft and light,\u201d she said. The process is involved. She sculpts an item from clay that must be dried slowly over several days. Layers of latex are applied to make the mold that is then filled with a concrete mix or stone compound, painted in vibrant detail and sealed to withstand the elements. Each product has a little story that gives it some fantasy as well as a personality. \u201cI\u2019m very fussy about my work. It doesn\u2019t go out unless I\u2019m absolutely positively sure this is what I want to represent me.\u201d The description for one weathered blue door reads, \u201cThis Fairy door belongs to Mrs Odina. She owns a Nights Fairy dormitory where she allows the traveling fairy to stop by and sleepover before they continue on their journey. She runs a tight tree house, her fees are fair but you have to bring your own berries and goats milk for breakfast. It says on the Door \u2018Fairies Sleeping\u2019 so be quiet when you pass by.\u201d Not all doors open to fairy abodes. Take the purple Wibble door. It belongs \u201cto the tiny Wibble people that live among the fae. They are very strange, cute but rarely seen. They usually are the ones that go hunting for \u2018Ambergris\u2019 mushrooms so that they can cultivate them and sell their perfume to the Fairies.\u201d Jassmond said, \u201cI love writing. I want to put what each symbol actually means. I want it to be very earth-like.\u201d Accessories she has designed allow customers to create their own magical spaces with a selection of windows, flower pots, trellises, mailboxes, lanterns, trees, mushrooms, watering cans, bird baths, pathways and fences. From fairy doors, she moved onto other beloved objects such as dragon eggs and Buddha cats, which soon found themselves in saturated markets. \u201cI don\u2019t want my shop to look like somebody else\u2019s. I want to be original, so that’s what I\u2019m aiming for \u2013 to open up a range of things other people will not have. You get them by designing them yourself. \u201cI look for things that people love all the time \u2026 like cats and dogs. People always want cats and dogs because cats and dogs are always part of the family. So I\u2019m expanding my cat range at the moment,\u201d she said of avoiding current fads. She does commission work as well, such as creating an animal in remembrance of a beloved pet that died. While she likes dogs, she loves cats, and painting them is one of the tasks she most likes. A commissioned piece Jassmond recently began working on \u2013 a large one-of-a-kind plaque for a high priestess \u2013 is moving her more into the pagan world where she is quite comfortable. \u201cI have a lot of ideas and I really want to get those going\u201d she said of making more pagan symbols. \u201cI would like to bring back some of the old pagan symbols \u2026 Nature is not respected, I feel, in our culture. I would like to make people more aware that these symbols do actually mean something.\u201d Customers have also been asking her to add them to her shop. For instance, she said, \u201ca lot of people think the pentagram is a witchcraft symbol. It\u2019s not. It actually is a sign of protection, but a lot of people think it\u2019s a sign of evil. I think by doing more of these symbols I really would like to educate people about what these really are.\u201d Jassmond was somewhat surprised that most of her customers are adults. \u201cThat’s the kick I get out of it \u2013 that it\u2019s not just for kids. I get more adults approaching me for advice on how to create a fairy garden for all the family if not for themselves.\u201d Inventory is limited. \u201cWhen I\u2019m making something I try to make two or three. The reason why I do that is one year I made a door for a customer. I was packing it up and I dropped it. \u2026Since that accident happened I always have a backup and that backup now becomes stock. I always try to have at least one.\u201d Everything is infused with her own love and magic, and customer reviews bear that out. Items range from 1-14 inches and from $9.99-$110.00. Those in stock ship sooner than those requiring casting, painting and finishing. She welcomes custom work as well. You can visit Jassmond Masters-Bell and see her work at her Etsy shop Fairy Behind the Door on her site: https:\/\/www.etsy.com\/shop\/FairybehindtheDoor?ref=si_shop Be sure to check out Jassmond\u2019s Facebook Page at: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/FAIRYBEHINDTHEDOOR\/ *** About the Author: Lynn Woike\u00a0was 50 \u2013 divorced and living on her own for the first time \u2013 before she consciously began practicing as a self taught solitary witch. She draws on an eclectic mix of old ways she has studied \u2013 from her Sicilian and Germanic heritage to Zen and astrology, the fae, Buddhism, Celtic, the Kabbalah, Norse and Native American \u2013 pulling from each as she is guided. She practices yoga, reads Tarot and uses Reiki. From the time she was little, she has loved stories, making her job as the editor of two monthly newspapers seem less than the work it is because of the stories she gets to tell. She lives with her large white cat, Pyewacket, in central Connecticut. You can follow her boards on\u00a0Pinterest, and write to her at woikelynn\u00a0at gmail\u00a0dot com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":210,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":1,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17583","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17583","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/210"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17583"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17583\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}