Cast urethane masks with illuminated eyes based on Cartier cufflink design.
Santa Monica - Investment guru Paul Sheehan retained the services of artist Philip Hitchcock to create original masks for a black tie Halloween benefit at Santa Monica's Museum of Flying. "Danse Macabre, An All Hallows Eve Masked Ball," honored famed horror director John Carpenter with The James Whale Award, which was presented by Daniel Baldwin. Proceeds from the event benefited The AIDS Research Alliance of America. For the event, Hitchcock created metallic "Jaguar masks" inspired by a Cartier cufflink design! The artist sculpted a clay likeness of the bejeweled cat and made silicone impressions from it. With the mold he cast ten copies of the designer mask using durable urethane resin. The masks were held by sparkling rods which resembled the actual cufflink stem. Each "Jaguar" was given a platinum finish and trimmed in rhinestones and glitter. The finishing touches were the three inch, blue sapphire eyes that lit up when the wearer pushed a button. "The look was utter sophistication," remarked Hitchcock, "especially since all the masquers donned a tux!"