When examining Mercello Mensa's face, it is hard not to notice the characteristics of a doll. He has eyes that glow, wrinkles that look masterfully placed by a professional, and a smile that never changes -- it is always there. Maybe the long hours he has spent in solitude, manipulating stone and clay into figures has somehow effected his facade, transforming his look into that of what he makes: puppets.

He once made a living from restoration, working as a stonemason on churches, buildings, and artifacts. At the end of his career he turned his efforts to making puppets. After a recent stroke, however, he ironically lost the use of his right hand -- the one his craft depends on. He speaks energetically and with enthusiasm, and it is difficult to see that his right hand is suffering.

His love for his craft surrounds him, and his excitement is unmistakable not only in his mannerisms, but also in his eyes, in his speech, and most clearly, in his house.

Pieces of past projects are strewn about his courtyard, the entrance to his residence. The small square that is the courtyard's flat ground is framed with products of his lucrative career. To the left, next to the entranceway of his house, is a granite face jutting out of a piece of solid background. It is a representation of wind, created in a style from the 15th century. The relic is placed at an angle on the ground against his home. It is one of many, but the ghastly stare makes it eminent from the urn, press, and decorative shelving that also occupy the yard. This piece has life.

It is inside his home that his transition from practice to passion is evident. A large antique table and a long shelf that houses his "puppets" make up the dining area. The small clay figures represent hours of careful precision that were spent with the motivation of pleasure, not money. He has never sold his work and explains that the inherit quality he produces would vanish if he were to lose his art to commerce. The animated eclectic faces speak to each other in their placement and face each other in the suggestion that they are deep in conversation.

As the eye moves from gleeful gnome to eerie goblin, the scene changes, and it is apparent that Marcello has a skill for manipulating inanimate clay into personality and life.