Tatiana Shimchenok was born in Kaliningrad, Russia, immigrated to the United States 10 years ago, and art helped her adjust to a new culture. Describing her mask, Tatiana says, " The elevated contours of the mask resemble our beautiful mountains and how they are inextricably linked to our daily life along the front range in Colorado. With mediums such as clay, hand-made kozo paper, wool fibers and watercolor, the piece is made entirely from natural substance. Colors on the mask are 'earth tones' and were chosen for their resemblance of our state’s beautiful surroundings. The mask’s hair was created through a recently developed coiling technique that utilizes wool fibers and copper wire."