Mata ni Pachedi Masks

These hand-painted face masks depict the Indian folk art form "Mata ni Pachedi", a 300 year-old textile art originating in Gujrat, India. It was considered a sacred art that centered around stories of Goddesses. The textiles were hung on temple walls and often served as shrines for the marginalized. Sadly, it's a fading art form as the process of treating, painting and dying the cotton can take months. 

These designs are painted entirely with natural pigments. The artist starts with an outline in black using a combination of wood block prints and free-hand painting. The color is filled in with brushes made from bamboo. After the fabric is treated and dyed it is laid out to dry naturally in the sun. No two masks are the same.