Milette Lanphere ML Ceramic Mask Wall Sculpture Black Red

A hand-built ceramic wall sculpture depicting a head, rendered with softly exaggerated features and a calm, introspective expression. The eyes are gently closed, the cheeks full, and the mouth slightly open, giving the piece a quiet, almost meditative presence. The hand-painted surface is finished in matte black with bold red accents across the brow and cheeks, creating a striking, minimal palette. The rounded muzzle and smooth facial planes strongly evoke pinniped anatomy. Subtle tooling marks and surface variation emphasize its handmade construction. The piece is hollow, lightweight, and designed for direct wall mounting.

The reverse carries the artist’s incised “ML” cipher, identifying the work as that of Milette Lanphere.

CONDITION
Good. No damage noted. Minor surface wear consistent with handling. Painted areas remain intact. Artist's mark visible. Please refer to all photographs.

DIMENSIONS
Overall: 3 1/2" H × 4 1/4" W × 4" D — Weight: 1 lb 2.1 oz. Wall mountable.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Milette Lanphere has spent most of her life in the Mesilla Valley of southern New Mexico, on a seven-acre menagerie outside Las Cruces — a working farm of horses, dogs, and a wide range of animals that inform her work. For years she was also a licensed falconer, one of fewer than thirty active practitioners in the state, before stepping away from that practice in the mid-2000s.

That background fostered a deep understanding of anatomy and expression, which carries through in her sculptural work. Even in stylized forms such as this mask, there is a sensitivity to structure and presence that reflects close observation of living subjects.

Lanphere has exhibited with the Mesilla Valley Fine Arts Gallery and was a member of the Potters' Guild of Las Cruces, participating in exhibitions such as the Fire & Fiber biennial at the Branigan Cultural Center. Her work reflects a balance of folk sensibility and practiced craftsmanship rooted in the New Mexico arts community.