artful home decor

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.

Artisan Luis Morales of Mexico crafts a charming ceramic Catrina to grace your mantel or shelf. Formed by hand from clay, her homely ensemble is carefully painted in blue and orange with an ivory apron and black shawl. Her hair is braided and she carries a basket of lilies on her back. The elegant figure is based on a satirical etching created by Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada around 1910-1913. With his etching, Posada poked fun at those Mexican natives who tried to emulate the fashion and habits of the European aristocracy. Today, la Catrina has become the instantly recognizable icon of Día de los Muertos (Mexico's Day of the Dead).

A myriad shades of blue conjure a cool and soothing universe in this elegant nierika, or votive beadwork painting by Kupihaute. Scorpions scuttle purposefully around the center of the composition, which takes the shape of a flower with five wide petals.

The artist, who writes fluently in the Huichol, Nahuatl and English languages, talks about this work in his own words. "From the focal center of the nierika, the precious flower arises in spiral movement as the culminating expression of the deepest roots. The blossom is keeping in its entrails the seed that will disseminate the power of creative energy. This is symbolized by the scorpions that, in their wonderful body symmetry, show the essence of the power itself, since any imbalance in its mating dance, any missing the target, will cause its own poisoning and thus its own death. Therefore the symbol of cosmos, of order is shown in their mouths and the tails."

The intricate images are formed with tiny seed beads. Kupihuate patiently places them one at a time with a needle made of abalone shell onto a huanacaxtle wood backing. Beeswax is used instead of glue.

The process is totally spontaneous, with no previous sketch or design. It is guided by the artist's unconscious to tell the stories that remain in our collective ancestral memory. He signs his work with the symbol of a butterfly on the reverse side of the nierika.

White rabbits chase glowing orange deer around an exquisite nierika, or votive beadwork composition by Kupihaute, which takes the shape of a flower with five wide petals.

The artisan, who writes fluently in the Huichol, Nahuatl, Spanish and English languages, talks about this work in his own words. "This nierika/mirror represents the duality of our existence. The rabbit symbolizes the permanent movement of earthiness reflected in the lunar mirror. The deer is the spirit that animates the movement of our wise memory, marking the spiral path of our ancestral cultures in permanent transformation and adaptation around the peyote-maize." The artist has created the word "eARThiness" to emphasize the word "art" found inside "earth." "For me, this eARThiness is very important and meaningful."

The intricate images are formed with tiny seed beads. Kupihuate patiently places them one at a time with a needle made of abalone shell onto a huanacaxtle wood backing. Beeswax is used instead of glue.

The process is totally spontaneous, with no previous sketch or design. It is guided by the artist's unconscious to tell the stories that remain in our collective ancestral memory. He signs his work with the symbol of a butterfly on the reverse side of the nierika.

Formed of three blue peyote buds, a lighted candle is radiant in this exquisite nierika, or votive beadwork painting by Kupihaute. A butterfly alights on either side in his composition, which takes the shape of a flower with five wide petals.

The artisan, who writes fluently in the Huichol, Nahuatl, Spanish and English languages, talks about this work in his own words. "The nierika is a mirror that is offered to the sea together with the first corn that has been harvested, in order to renew the cycle of rains that will give life to the next crop cycle. As in most of the ancient cultures of our planet, the candle represents our trajectory between being born and returning. For this reason, even today, during the celebration of our birthday, it is customary to light and blow out as many candles as solar cycles have elapsed. The butterflies and spirals are indicating that existence is energy in permanent transformation between arising from and returning to earth."

The intricate images are formed with tiny seed beads. Kupihuate patiently places them one at a time with a needle made of abalone shell onto a huanacaxtle wood backing. Beeswax is used instead of glue.

The process is totally spontaneous, with no previous sketch or design. It is guided by the artist's unconscious to tell the stories that remain in our collective ancestral memory. He signs his work with the symbol of a butterfly on the reverse side of the nierika.

Bertha Martin del Campo illustrates the clash between reality and perception in this silkscreen print of two penguins on an iceberg against a sky blue background. "When the decision is to exchange wings for fins, this leads us to discover a different perception of a reality for every being. Inside all of us is a little-known story that we can only understand once we open our own consciousness." The artist signs her work "Maca."

Titled 'Percepción y realidad' in Spanish.

Bertha Martin del Campo illustrates the joy of self-love in this bright screen print. A girl peeks up at the viewer from against a lemon yellow background. "Never stop surprising yourself! Learn to enjoy your own company and find those magical moments that will leas you to live with joy." The artist signs her work as "Maca."

Titled "Sorprendete" in Spanish.

Artist Bertha Martin del Campo in Mexico captures the enticing aroma of coffee in her limited edition serigraph print. The original artwork depicts a hand gripping a steaming mug against a coppery-brown background. "Wake up with that aroma that leads you to thank the beginning of a new day," says the artist. She signs her artwork as "Maca."

Artist Bertha Martin del Campo in Mexico creates this original limited edition serigraph print, which depicts a young man reclining, deep in thought. The artist says, "This work captures the moment when we connect with that creative part; find the right space and time to let your mind travel and your body float." The artist signs her work as "Maca."

The sun and the moon rejoice at the beauty of nature's treasures creating an eclipse of happy energy in this joyful wall adornment. Eufrosia Pantaleon brings to life this lovely fantasy as she handcrafts the ceramic wall adornment with vibrant Mexican colors.

In Mesoamerican belief, the skull is an very important symbol, not only of death as we know it, but also the afterlife. This white ceramic flowerpot by Aldo Alvarez is an interpretation of the Aztec tzompantli, a rack where the heads of sacrificial victims were displayed as an offering to the gods. One can be seen in the Templo Mayor museum in Mexico City.

Perched on a floral branch, a majestic peacock adds a touch of beauty to your wall decor. Mexican artisan J. Blas creates this eye-catching wall sculpture, which he crafts from steel sheet. Each of the peacock's feathers is cut and painted by hand, and the peacock's body features a three-dimensional shape.