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Medium Indonesian Mask by Paula Kehoe $750

Hand-beaded wooden mask, signed by artist. Dimensions: 7" wide x 10" long

Paula Kehoe: The beaded artwork of the Huichol Indians inspired me to create my own style of beaded art. The Huichol Indians are an indigenous Indian tribe of west-central Mexico; they create very beautiful and intricate beadwork with seed beads.
 
Using the Huichol beading technique of pressing seed beads into beeswax with a porcupine quill, I choose to use ethnic wooden masks as the foundation for my art. My passion is beading African and Asian cultural masks integrating colors, patterns and the technique of the Huichol Indians. Each piece is unique and no template is used to lay down the color or design. I let the design unfold with the features of the mask.
 
These masks take about 2 months to complete. I work on them in my spare time. Beading adds a peaceful balance to my day-job-profession working on San Francisco Bay Area water supply issues.