About

Goblin Art started in 2000 as a mask-making studio run by Moni Sears. From then until to 2015,  Moni designed and created more than a thousand handmade masks, often assisted by spouse and business partner Rick Sears, in addition to various interns and part-time helpers.

The masks were sold to customers around the Pacific Northwest through galleries, fairs, and art markets, in New Orleans at the annual French Market Mask Market, and around the world through online sales.

Goblin Art masks have been commissioned for theatre, film and television, the Cirque du Soleil gift shop, and have been featured on book and album covers including Iron Maiden's 2003 LP record album and vinyl single Dance of Death.

In 2015 Moni closed the mask production and sales portion of Goblin Art, and spent several years exploring methods of creating art with more sustainable materials.

Then in 2019 Moni and Rick started building giant puppets from paper mache and cardboard, which has led to several sub projects:

• PDX Monsters. A growing troop of black-light reactive cardboard monster puppets that participates in the Portland Mardi Gras Parade and other Portland events, build and performed by Moni and Rick and volunteers.

• Wildland Roots - Mythic Arts & Mummery. An art collective focused on seasonal and place-based processional arts projects, directed by Moni.

• Portland All Souls River Procession. An annual community art procession and grief ritual, directed by Moni with collaborators Ivy Stovall and Mel Berry.

Moni and Rick continue to explore new creative ideas using a combination of modern methods and traditional techniques and materials for mask-making and puppet-building.

Moni occasionally creates handmade masks and puppets for local theatre projects, and is sometimes available to teach in-person classes to folks in the greater Portland, Oregon area.