A mask works wonders
Nestled quietly at her work table and surreptitiously doted on by several dozen handcrafted, wearable, leather masks that inhabit her showroom, Wendy Drolma declines, if only to herself, the curious title of Maskmaker. In spite of having been creating masks for over twenty years she sees herself as more of an Alchemist. The masks are a synonym, of sorts, 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. In alchemical terms, Wendy creates vehicles of transformation. If you need to go somewhere you put it on and fly there, if you have a question it answers you. Terrance McKenna spoke most succinctly when he said, “it's something that the human mind senses in itself and related to, invoked, worshiped over centuries before the slow rise of the patriarchy and rationalism and materialism turned it into a myth, a fairytale. It is not a myth or a fairytale, it is the burning, primary reality that lies behind the dross of appearance."
Wendy recently opened up a studio/showroom located at 92 Mill Hill Road (2nd floor) in Woodstock, NY. Her masks are also available for viewing and purchasing on her website www.wendydrolma.com.
Leather Masquerade Masks handcrafted by Wendy Drolma
www.wendydrolma.com
