E-commerce company Vistaprint has just launched its first artist capsule collection of face masks, created in an effort to normalize mask-wearing while still allowing room for creative expression.
“I have always been comfortable wearing a mask,” says Canadian illustrator/designer Geoff McFetridge, one of the four artists chosen for this collaboration, adding however, “I feel for those who are uncomfortable wearing a mask for whatever reason. Artists and designers can, hopefully, develop options for people. Ideally these designs make some people more comfortable and connected to an object they are putting on their face.”
In addition to McFetridge, the other globally renowned artists tapped for this collaboration are FUTURA2000 from New York, Jen Stark from Miami, and Parra from Amsterdam. The face masks designed by each artist reflect their own unique style and creative influences.
McFetridge created two different designs: one is titled ‘Us From a Distance’ and features a socially distanced group of people. “I have done a number of works over the years that have a “crowd” theme,” explains McFetridge in a press release. “With the crowd images I draw I am interested in how an image can connect with how we interact, how we see ourselves in the world. A landscape of individuals. In this case… keeping six feet of distance.”
His second design, titled ‘All of Us,’ features multiple hands (in both monochrome and multicolour options). “Hands are this very basic image; in this image I treat them as you might see camouflage or paint strokes. The hands are less individuals than they are pieces of a whole. Each hand holds the other up like fibres woven together.”
The graphic black-and-white masks from FUTURA LABORATORIES, a design company and lifestyle brand created by artist FUTURA2000, were designed to be “benign,” according to the artist. “In this instance, I almost feel like the graphics take a back seat to the practical function of wearing a mask.” In collaboration with FUTURA LABORATORIES, Vistaprint will donate a portion of the proceeds of the mask sales to Free Arts NYC.
Meanwhile, American artist Jen Stark created vibrant designs “inspired by elements found in the natural world, such as plant growth, microorganisms, and sacred geometry,” adding that she wanted the patterns “to create a sense of movement and have an optical illusion type feel.”
Lastly, Dutch artist Parra, known for his saturated colours and post-Pop imagery, designed masks illustrated with birds flying through the sky. His striking design comes in two colourways: one a minimal black-and-white, the other an eye-catching palette of pinks and blues.
The masks are washable and reusable, with adjustable ear straps and a replaceable filter. The adult masks retail for CAD 33 while children’s masks retail for CAD 22. Order yours here.
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