Nestled quietly at her work table and secretly spied on by several dozen handcrafted, wearable masks that inhabit her showroom, Wendy Drolma declines, if only to herself, the curious title of Mask maker. Despite creating masks for over twenty years, she sees herself as more of an Alchemist. The masks are a synonym for something essential and puzzling that vibrates just below the surface and tends to retreat as we draw near. Paradoxically, it’s this cosmic game of hide and seek that fuels her desire to mold materials into something more… well… enduring. Something that has meaning in our lives and gives us the courage to stand before other people and feel powerful in the face of our destructibility.
Craftsmanship is at the heart of a Wendy Drolma mask. As a child, she enjoyed watching things be made. Long before the term became popular, her parents were “makers,” and spending time watching them use tools was a form of intimacy that she valued and remains a favorite pastime. Anticipating choices and working through the idiosyncrasies of form and function provided excellent fuel for creativity. She is self-taught and, since 1993, has brought her obsession with how things are made to the discipline of creating uniquely beautiful handmade masks that are unrivaled in comfort.
Inspired by nature, each mask is brought to life with the utmost attention to detail. The leather is imported from Italy and tanned using extracts from vegetable matter such as tree bark and oak leaf, the oldest known method of tanning.
In a Wendy Drolma mask, one can see themselves in a way they’ve never seen themselves before. They can hold that moment forever.
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