Hand Carved Krampus Masks by Stefan Koidl

A year ago, I wrote about my dream to one day own a custom, hand-carved Krampus mask from one of a wide array of European artists. In fact, one of my bucket list items would be to one day travel to Europe and participate in an annual Krampuslauf parade. It really is a wintertime equivalent of working in a Halloween haunt, and every video I've seen looks like an incredibly crazy time! 

I recently discovered the work of Austrian sculptor and painter, Stefan Koidl. His hand-carved Krampus masks are truly stunning, with intricate carving and finishing details on each piece he produces. Seeing his work makes me want to refocus on getting that Krampus mask to add to my collection and book my flight to Europe!

Do yourself a favor and go check out all of his art here.

The detail and intricate carving on this Norse King mask is some of the best that I have ever seen. I can't even imagine the work that we will be seeing in the coming years...

All photos courtesy of The Art of Stefan Koidl

  

And enjoy a quick interview where Koidl talks about creating his masks...

Hand Carved Krampus Masks by Miguel Walch

Every winter I see stunningly beautiful, hand carved wooden Krampus masks from artists in and around Austria. And every winter I think that I need to save up a bunch of money and have a custom, one-of-a-kind hand carved mask created especially for me. Some day, I suppose.

This year, I discovered the amazing work of Austrian artist, Miguel Walch. His ability to take a hunk of wood and create a vibrant and hideous, lifelike creature completely blew me away. His final Krampus masks would fit in perfectly at any European Krampuslauf or displayed prominently on any art gallery wall...

All photos courtesy of miguelwalch.com

And while I don't have the funds available to get my own custom Krampus mask yet, I will seek out his gorgeously designed book. It's all in German, but the stunning photography and the beautiful graphic design still make this one a no-brainer for my personal library.

All photos courtesy of miguelwalch.com

Hand Carved Krampus Masks by Christian Eberharter

Stunningly beautiful hand carved and painted, one of a kind Tyrolean Swiss Pine Krampus masks created by Christian Eberharter in Austria. Available from KrampusMasks.com. See more of Eberharter's work at his site.