Amid the rice paddies of Bali, there sits a man who listens to wood. Sure, it sounds a bit strange, but if you see this master at work, you’d think differently. Day after day, he sits bent over blocks of wood, carving masterpieces. He’s none other than Anom, the Mask Maker of Mas.My wife and I first met Anom when we walked into his workshop fifteen years ago. With that memory still fresh in our minds, we recently returned to Mas, a short drive from Ubud, hoping to show our daughters the magic we had once seen.
As the van slowed down as we entered the village, we scoured both sides of the road lined with wood carving shops lining both sides of the street, looking for Anom's workshop. We wondered if we would remember exactly where it was, but as soon as we saw the town soccer field, something clicked. For right beside it was Anom's workshop.
In a matter of minutes, we stepped inside, and there he was, bent over a block of wood, chipping away at it with chisel in hand. He looked up from his work and welcomed us in. On the walls, rows of beautifully colored masks keep a careful eye over him, and each one has a story to tell. Part of the fun of visiting Anom's shop is to try on some masks and tell their stories.
Right off the bat, Isabelle was drawn to a beautiful gold mask with captivating eyes. Anom helped her put it on, and instantly she strutted around the room, wagging her finger in the air. The mask had allowed her to shed her identity and become someone totally new, albeit for only a few moments.
When it was Eloise's turn, she picked the mask of a beautiful woman whose closed eyes suggested a pensive and spiritual character. Eloise brought her to life right away as she put her hands together and tilted her head slightly.What we were all waiting for was for Anom to put on a mask. And when he did, the magic returned. Immediately, Anom transformed himself into a shy boy who crept around the room, glancing to the side, waving his arms about. A professional dancer himself, Anom treated us to our own personal performance.
Part of the magic of Anom's masks lie in his workmanship. It takes up to two weeks (or more) for him to fashion a new mask. When asked if he knows what the mask will look like ahead of time, he said most definitely. "In fact," he added, "Often the mask speaks to me when I'm carving."Once Anom finishes carving the mask, he begins the painstaking task of painting it. With forty coats for each mask, its the light and durable nature of the local balsa-type wood that can withstand it. And once it is done, it sits in a prominent place on the wall until it's time for it to come to life.
We weren't surprised to learn that mask making nothing new for Anom. He began carving masks at the age of 15 when his father taught him. His father learned it from his grandfather, and when Anom told us he is now teaching his 23 year-old son, I swear there was a glimmer in his eye.
As we left Anom and his shop with a couple of masks in hand, we bid him farewell until the next time we venture up into the rice paddies of Bali.
