dream gift

Working in papier mache, Marina Lozano in Mexico creates this fanciful alebrije sculpture. The winged cat is carefully hand painted with a dizzying array of motifs in myriad colours.

The folk art tradition of alebrijes dates back to the 1930's in Mexico City. A man named Pedro Linares was taken ill, and in his fevered dreams he saw a strange land populated with curious creatures--a donkey with wings, a rooster with bull's horns, and a lion with the head of a dog. The beasts all ran at him, shouting the nonsense word, "alebrije! alebrije!". Upon his recovery, Linares began recreating the fantastical creatures he had seen in his dream in papier mache. The art form gained popularity, and alebrijes are now made of wood as well as papier mache.

This utterly charming creature from Marina Lozano in Mexico offers you his heart. The alebrije is crafted by hand from recycled papier mache and carefully painted by hand. The whimsical sculpture has the body of a frog and the wings of a butterfly.

The folk art tradition of alebrijes dates back to the 1930's in Mexico City. A man named Pedro Linares was taken ill, and in his fevered dreams he saw a strange land populated with curious creatures--a donkey with wings, a rooster with bull's horns, and a lion with the head of a dog. The beasts all ran at him, shouting "alebrije! alebrije!". Upon his recovery, Linares began recreating the fantastical creatures he had seen in his dream. The art form gained popularity, and alebrijes are now made of wood as well as papier mache.

Mexican artisans Zeny and Reyna create this excellent alebrije sculpture, demonstrating their expertise in the Oaxacan folk art form. The whimsical sculpture is carved from copal wood and painted in lavish detail in a rainbow of colours.

The folk art tradition of alebrijes dates back to the 1930s in Mexico City. A man named Pedro Linares was taken ill, and in his feverish dreams he saw a strange land populated with curious creatures--a donkey with wings, a rooster with bull's horns, and a lion with the head of a dog. The beasts all ran at him, shouting the nonsense word, "alebrije! alebrije!". Upon his recovery, Linares began recreating the fantastical creatures he had seen in his dream in papier mache. The art form gained popularity, and alebrijes are now made of wood as well as papier mache.

This adorable key fob is hand crafted by Claudio Ojeda in Mexico. The panda alebrije is carved from copal wood and painted in black and white and myriad patterns and shapes in pink and purple. The wood figurine adorns a stainless steel key ring. The artisan signs his pieces with the initials "T.C.", which represent his initial "C" preceded by his mother Teresita's initial "T". Claudio learned the art of crafting alebrijes from his mother.

The folk art tradition of alebrijes dates back to the 1930's in Mexico City. A man named Pedro Linares was taken ill, and in his fevered dreams he saw a strange land populated with curious creatures--a donkey with wings, a rooster with bull's horns, and a lion with the head of a dog. The beasts all shouted "alebrije! alebrije!". Upon his recovery, Linares began recreating the fantastical creatures he had seen in his dream. The art form gained popularity, and alebrijes are now made of wood as well as papier mache.

The charismatic salamander known as the axolotl is beautifully captured in the form of an alebrije by Mexican artisan Marina Lozano. The artisan works in papier mache to create the sculpture, which is carefully painted by hand in brilliant colours.

The folk art tradition of alebrijes dates back to the 1930's in Mexico City. A man named Pedro Linares was taken ill, and in his fevered dreams he saw a strange land populated with curious creatures--a donkey with wings, a rooster with bull's horns, and a lion with the head of a dog. The beasts all ran at him, shouting the nonsense word, "alebrije! alebrije!". Upon his recovery, Linares began recreating the fantastical creatures he had seen in his dream in papier mache. The art form gained popularity, and alebrijes are now made of wood as well as papier mache. The same style of painting can also be found on other (non-animal) items.

This brightly coloured hen is the work of artisans Jesus and Roxana Hernandez in Mexico, who preserve the distinctly Oaxacan folk art form of alebrijes. The sculpture is carved by hand from copal wood before being carefully painted with a dizzying array of colourful motifs.

The folk art tradition of alebrijes dates back to the 1930's in Mexico City. A man named Pedro Linares was taken ill, and in his fevered dreams he saw a strange land populated with curious creatures--a donkey with wings, a rooster with bull's horns, and a lion with the head of a dog. The beasts all ran at him, shouting the nonsense word,"alebrije! alebrije!". Upon his recovery, Linares began recreating the fantastical creatures he had seen in his dream in papier mache. The art form gained popularity, and alebrijes are now made of wood as well as papier mache.

From the fantastic fever dream of Pedro Linares, a loyal alebrije dog comes to life thanks to the gifted artisan Esteban Hernandez from Mexico. Working with advanced techniques, he hand-carves this figurine from sturdy copal wood and paints it in a vibrant combination of green and blue hues arranged in a geometric pattern.

Glittering with silver tones and vibrant, multicoloured designs, an elabourate fish makes a mystical addition to your home decor with this figurine from Mexico. Pablo and Lucy Mendez, who carry on the tradition of alebrije folk art, work together to create the fish. They carve this figurine of copal wood and paint it by hand.

Alebrijes are a fairly recent Mexican art form, attributed to Pedro Linares. Unconscious due to illness in 1936, he was presumed near death and yet his dreams were extremely vivid. He tells of a place where all was peaceful and quiet until all of a sudden there appeared a lion with an eagle's head, a rooster with bull's horns and a donkey with butterfly wings. They kept screeching "alebrije, alebrije!" and Pedro began running away. He encountered a man who told him it was not yet his time to be there are and he should continue running towards the exit. In this dream Pedro climbed out of a window and regained consciousness.

This charming little coyote alebrije, who could be whistling a tune on a sunny day, is hand crafted out of copal wood by artisan Teresita Gonzalez of Mexico. A bright array of colors and myriad of floral motifs are among the many hand painted details this delightful alebrije has to offer. Small parts are separated for shipping to protect from breakage.

The artisan says about what her art means to her: “The doctor diagnosed me with cancerous sarcoma, but I'd look at my son and I knew my work in life wasn't finished. I began painting as a form of therapy, and I've learned to believe in life and to have dreams."

A rotund fish with big eyes swims sinuously in cool rivers. Colorful motifs from Zapotec art and ancient temples cover the body and fins. By Manuel Cruz, this is a beautiful example of Mexico's alebrije art. The image is carved by hand of copal wood in the style of Oaxaca and meticulously painted by hand with tiny brushes. The finer details are created using a maguey thorn instead of a brush.

The alebrije tradition originated with Mexico City artisan Pedro Linares (1906-1992). When he was 30, he became ill and fell into a coma. While he was unconscious, he dreamed he was caught between the land of the living and the dead, a place populated with creatures whose body parts belonged to different animals. The beings repeatedly cried, "Alebrije!" When he was well, Linares recreated these fanciful figures in papier mache. His work became famous and inspired artisans in the state of Oaxaca, who began crafting alebrijes of wood.

The wood branch dictates the final form, thus size and shapes can vary slightly. Thus, each alebrije is an authentic work of Mexican folk art.

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.

This irresistible, colorful creature from Marina Lozano will win your heart. The alebrije is crafted by hand from recycled papier mache and carefully painted by hand. The whimsical sculpture has the body of a seahorse and the wings of a butterfly.

The folk art tradition of alebrijes dates back to the 1930's in Mexico City. A man named Pedro Linares was taken ill, and in his fevered dreams he saw a strange land populated with curious creatures--a donkey with wings, a rooster with bull's horns, and a lion with the head of a dog. The beasts all ran at him, shouting "alebrije! alebrije!". Upon his recovery, Linares began recreating the fantastical creatures he had seen in his dream. The art form gained popularity, and alebrijes are now made of wood as well as papier mache.