Gainesville artist Jerry Coker believes that art comes forth from an unknown source, that it emerges naturally from the unconscious mind. The artist is, in effect, a channel for the free flow of creative energy.

Coker’s “identity masks” are meant to illuminate the 388 most interesting people that he has met. Many of them are people from his youth in Arkansas. Fabricating the masks from rusted pieces of tin covering wood shaped as a face, Coker folds, mallets, and secures the pieces of metal to form the features. Noses are often long, protruding strips that stem from the forehead. Mouths and eyes may be cut out or formed by tucking some tin under another layer of material. He occasionally contends with a tuft of hair. The faces are often elongated, pushed and pulled to reflect distinct personalities. “Masks,” he says, “are my calling.”

Whether he captures the spirit of an individual is unknowable and even largely irrelevant. And whether that spirit even exists beyond the artist’s imagination matters only as much as it propelled him to perfect the image. Because Jerry Coker sees an artist as a medium, he is quick to point out that he or she is a distraction once the work is completed.