Ryl Mandus. A self taught Venice merchant who guarantees the quality and craftsmanship of all of her masks. Her passion for mask making was triggered by a gift given to her by her sister-in-law. Although she didn’t know it at the time, Mandus was using methods to create her masks that have been used for centuries in Italy. She pays close attention to creation of each mask, to assure each handmade masquerade mask is balanced, and comfortable to wear. Mandus has a great sense of humor, and loves what she does. She has a private at-home studio, and her work can easily be described as art. After careful consideration, Mandus has scaled back her productivity, and is focusing on one of a kind pieces. She is the recipient of nearly 100 awards.

Wendy Drolma. This artist handcrafts unique unisex masks, guided by her own intuition, which includes stitching and lining. Although she has no formal training, the masks created are very unique, comfortable to wear, and are one of a kind.

Drolma’s designer masquerade mask creations range from elegant to disturbing, and according to her, she gets her inspiration from the air she breathes. She is a firm believer of the trial and error method, in order to sharpen visual creativity. Masks from her UnMask Collection, sell the most, due to a creative strap. Drolma mainly focuses on leather creations, and currently offers about 50 masks for sale, available for purchase through her website.

Alyssa Ravenwood. This award winning artist really knows how to make a masquerade mask. She has some awesome pieces. Ravenwood believes that masks are not worn to hide or disguise, but yet to bring out hidden personalities in people. She works as a physical theatre director and educator, and has gotten rave reviews from her workshops.

Ravenwood gets inspiration from almost anything. She can see faces within a pile of rocks or a curtain fold, and uses this as motivation to create an elegant masquerade mask. This artist has worked on countless film projects, around the world.

Maxx Empire. Maxx created his first custom masquerade mask in leather in 1987, yet it wasn’t until ten years later, when he became serious about mask making. He uses only the finest materials he can afford to create wonderful masterpieces of art. Maxx was inspired by working backstage for theatre productions. With no formal training, Maxx Empire has still nonetheless made a remarkable mark in the masquerade mask industry, with his art. He has even created animal masquerade masks!