Mask-maker taps into
a lifetime's experience

Maneeya Dhammataree

Depicting stories from the Ramayana, traditional Thai khon mask performance is an important and valuable part of the country’s cultural heritage. Nevertheless, it continues to come under threat despite numerous efforts at a national level to revive it.

Although he has dedicated 30 years of his life to the production of traditional khon masks, the reality is that it’s unlikely that fifty-four-year-old Prateep Rodpai will see any significant revival of the form during his lifetime. Fortunately, dedicated characters like Prateep mean that at least the public can enjoy the art form for the time being.

An early introduction

Prateep’s introduction to khon began when he was adopted at the age of 13 by his famous uncle - Sakorn Youngkhieosod, who is also known as ‘Joe Louis’. Sakorn is one of the country’s best known puppeteers, receiving the title national artist in 1996 under the performance category.

For the first six years under his uncle’s tutelage and guidance, Prateep performed as part of Sakorn’s khon troupe, which toured the country regularly. Having become too old to carry off his part in the khon performance, Prateep began learning the art of mask-making when he was 19 years old. The masks Prateep and other members of the group produced were to be sold at Sakorn’s Pha-Dung Cheep, the first store to sell khon masks and costumes commercially for the country’s khon troupes.

Creative hands

The process begins by creating the characters using papier mache, according to Prateep. He says that the mask-maker’s most difficult task is shaping the models’ features and ornamental items. This is done once the papier mache-based models have dried. Prateep uses a mixture created by Sakorn comprising: calcium; cement; flour; and straw paper.

“It helps if a modeler first practices by doing some painting so they can learn how to get the proportions right,” Prateep said. “This way, they will become more familiar with the outlines of the features so they’ll find it easier to create the right shapes.”

Clay is applied and then rubbed smooth using sandpaper. Finally, acrylic paint is applied by brush – gold, green, pink and red are the most popular colors. Gold leaf and tiny mirrors are glued on to add a touch of glamor, while the interior of the mask gets a coat of lacquer. The rims are strengthened with wire.

Securing a sales channel

Sadly, no sooner had Prateep begun carving out a career as a mask-maker than the traditional performance art began falling out of favor. While Sakorn focused on puppetry more closely, gaining the monicker ‘Joe Louis’ around this time, fortunately another member of his troupe hit upon the idea of selling khon masks as souvenirs.

The first store to start selling them in Bangkok was a prestigious one - the Oriental Hotel Bangkok’s souvenir shop. Prateep said the best-selling masks are: Hanuman (a half-human, half-monkey creature); Ravana (a 10-headed demon); and headdresses, which are worn by female characters in the cast. The headdresses tend to be the most popular overall, he said.

A regular mask costs 1,000 baht (US$30), while the headdresses cost about 1,500 baht.

The development of sales of masks as souvenirs has provided a useful channel through which numerous artists have been able to make a living, according to Prateep. However, the latest challenge facing mask-makers is that the more recently qualified craftsmen have been trying to compete for market share by reducing their prices.

The emergence of another plaster-molding technique to produce a smaller version of the masks has also added to the rivalry although this apparently poses no competition when it comes to regular-sized masks since the plaster molding is heavier and breaks more easily than papier mache. Masks created using resin can be lighter, but again they are more easily broken, according to Prateep.

While for the stores and vendors, khon mask-making may just be a business means to an end, Prateep says that the classically-produced handicrafts contain some of the craftsman’s spirit.

While he has spent 30 years producing the masks, Prateep says he never gets bored of making them, adding that he hopes that one day young Thais will recognize the skill and effort involved in producing these colorful works of art.