Selling Chocolate by Day, Creating Monsters by Night

One might consider him a modern day Jekyll and Hyde. During the daylight hours you'll find him behind the counter at a local chocolate specialty store making candy - but by night he crafts ghoulish face masks that would scare even the hardiest of souls.

Wes Podoll, 36, is the man behind the mask. He works as a confectioner full time at the store at , but his true passion is crafting monster images that would send most small children screaming for their mothers.

So just how did he come by this creative art form. Podoll, who holds a Bachelor or Arts degree from the former Atlanta College of Art (now SCAD), has had a fascination with the macalb since a young teen.

"When I was 14, a friend showed me an issue of Fangoria magazine, and I've been hooked ever since," said the soft spoken chocolate candy maker. The magazine, known as "America's Horror Magazine" introduced him to the fascinating world of make believe.

He got a taste of what would become his future fascination for ghols and goblins when as a 7-year-old he went to see The Exorcist. "I was scared and fascinated at the same time," he remembers.

That would lead eventually to the idea of making the scary masks with the hope that eventually it will lead him to a career in Hollywood as a special effects artist.

But mask making, at least the kind that Podoll crafts is a time-consuming proposition that can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to a month to complete. Each is created from a mold which he has hand carved for a unique, one-of-a-kind mask.

He learned the craft on his own by reading books and watching videos of master mask makers at work.

Podoll has just recently begun selling his masks online. He's had one commercial job when he was commissioned to create a mask, two sets of hands and a shrunken head for a Beetlejuice-themed company party. It took him three months to complete the work.

Originally from Montgomery, Alabama, Podoll began pursuing his artistic dream as an abstract painter but realized that was not the path he wanted to take. "I didn't enjoy it, it wasn't fun for me," he said.

What he does enjoy is the creative work behind crafting the gholish figures that frankly only a mother could love. "I started making masks in college, but didn't really get into it until about four years ago," he said.

It's his dream to use his creative talents in the motion-picture business, but for now he'll have to be content creating mouth-watering chocolate treats with the dream of one day making his passion a reality.

"Where ever this leads me, I'll go," said Podoll quietly.

You can view his work on his website.