• Graziano shapes traditional Sardinian leather masks by hand
• He works by the sea, in the open air at San Giovanni di Sinis
• He uses wooden moulds, spatulas and his father's compass to make his masks

Sardinia-based Graziano Viale crafts leather masks according to the local tradition, with leather and hand tools. His creations range from Phoenician Punic masks to performance masks for the Commedia dell'Arte and Greek theatre, as well as animals, birds and miniatures for decorative purposes. Graziano soaks the leather in hot water and shapes it with his hands and small wooden spatulas on the moulds he has designed and made since the 1980s. "Once the leather has dried, I trim, decorate and colour it," he explains. A qualified dental technician, after four years of veterinary medicine, Graziano left it all behind and began to teach himself his craft. Since 1984, he has actively been involved in passing on his craft, first in Bremen, and now in his Sardinian workshop.