be different art

A happy black cat with two blue birds for friends gazes out from this handcrafted decorative ceramic plate. Designed by Mexican artisan Maria Isabel Cruz, the plate is made using the centuries-old dry rope technique, in which a wax mixture made of magnesium oxide and fat are applied to the outlines of the image or motif prior to glazing. The wax mixture creates a barrier that keeps the different fill colors in the design separate during firing, before burning off to reveal the blackened ceramic beneath. The plate can be hung on a wall for display via the nylon cord on the back.

Flowers blossom with an exuberant feast of colours on a platter designed in the Talavera style of the state of Puebla. The motifs are painted by hand over the ivory-colour ceramic dish with a palette that includes yellow-orange, blue, and green flowers over a crisscross network of dots and crosses. Bordered by a black honeycomb, this platter comes from the 'Zacatlán Flowers' collection designed by Pedro Tecayehuatl.

Talavera is a distinctive art form brought to Mexico by artisans from Talavera de la Reina, Spain. The ceramic artisans of Puebla, Mexico then incorporated Chinese designs, thus creating the blue and oyster-white patterns traditionally associated with Talavera Poblana. Today there are also more "contemporary" designs that include yellow, green, orange, mauve, black and red.

National and international conventions require that a rigorous procedure be followed in the elabouration of authentic Talavera-style ceramics. Each individual piece will be slightly different, and therefore a unique work of art.

Flowers blossom with an exuberant feast of colours on a serving bowl designed in the Talavera style of the state of Puebla. The motifs are painted by hand over the ivory-colour ceramic bowl with a palette that includes yellowish-orange, blue, and green flowers over a crisscross network of dots and crosses. Bordered by a black honeycomb, this beautiful dish comes from the 'Zacatlán Flowers' collection designed by Pedro Tecayehuatl.

Talavera is a distinctive art form brought to Mexico by artisans from Talavera de la Reina, Spain. The ceramic artisans of Puebla, Mexico then incorporated Chinese designs, thus creating the blue and oyster-white patterns traditionally associated with Talavera Poblana. Today there are also more "contemporary" designs that include yellow, green, orange, mauve, black and red.

National and international conventions require that a rigorous procedure be followed in the elabouration of authentic Talavera-style ceramics. Each individual piece will be slightly different, and therefore a unique work of art.

There will be no issues with these adorable kitties climbing up your Christmas tree. Jose Arriola crafts this set of six ornaments from terracotta in a rainbow of colors and contrasting floral designs. Each ornament has its own hanging cord and the set comes in a striped woven cotton storage bag. Jose Arriola learned the art of ceramics from his mother. He now owns two different shops where he sells his wares in the Antigua market. His work is inspired by old Mayan traditions and the bright colors of his homeland.

Alebrijes are often a hybrid of real animals, such as elephants and crocodiles, or they can be more fantastical creatures, such as dragons. Artisan Teresita Gonzalez of Xoxocotlan in the Mexican state of Oaxaca creates an elaborately hand carved copal wood alebrije dragonfly, or libelula. The insect is beautifully painted in bold red with accents of black, blue and yellow. Small parts are separated for shipping to protect from breakage.

It is said that Oaxaca's alebrije tradition descends directly from Mexico City artisan Pedro Linares (1906-1992). When he was 30, he became seriously ill and fell into a sort of coma. While he was unconscious, he had a most fantastic dream. He was caught between the land of the living and the dead; the place looked like a forest and was populated with creatures with body parts belonging to different animals. The beings repeatedly uttered the word alebrije, and when Linares woke up, he recreated these figures in vivid colors using papier mache techniques and called them alebrijes . His work became famous and eventually influenced artisans in the state of Oaxaca who decided to craft alebrijes using traditional wood carving methods and according to that region's world vision.

A perky blue parrot alights on a tree branch. With wings spread, it flaunts flirty feathers in bright primary colours. Pablo and Lucy Mendez carry on the traditional alebrije folk art they learned from their own parents to craft the beautiful bird.

Oaxaca's alebrije tradition derives from the art of Pedro Linares (1906-1992), a Mexico City papier mache artist. While in a coma during a serious illness, he found himself in a dream forest with fanciful creatures made with body parts from different animals. They cried, "Alebrije! Alebrije!" When he awakened, Linares crafted the figures in papier mache and his influence reached to Oaxaca, where they are carved from copal wood.

Because each sculpture is an individually created work of folk art, shapes are dictated by the wood branch and may vary slightly. The feathers and tree trunk are disassembled to protect them during shipping.