bright paintings

Hovering on whirring wings, a whimsical hummingbird seeks out the sweet nectar of flowers. Zeny and Reyna transform found pieces of copal wood into a delightful alebrije. These fanciful sculptures are a traditional folk art in Oaxaca, once based on twenty totems but today representing all kinds of animals. They take their name from a Calo gypsy word for "something difficult, tangled, confusing or fantastic."

Because each alebrije is individually created work of folk art, shapes will vary slightly. Small parts are separated for shipping to protect from breakage.

A playful, excited cat makes a vibrant and fun addition to any home, handcrafted from copal wood and maguey plant fibers in the style of traditional alebrijes. Mexican couple Zeny and Reyna proudly paint this sculpture by hand, drawing inspiration from their cultural roots to cover the cat in bright floral motifs against a teal body. Small parts are separated for shipping to protect from breakage.

Displaying a bright purple hue with multicolored designs, an elaborate 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.

These happy-footed penguins have put on their party clothes for the weekend. The two copal wood figures are alebrijes, a tradition of painting hand-carved animal figures in bright colors and wild designs. These two were created and signed by Gerardo and Teresa Ojeda of Oaxaca, Mexico. The wings detach for safe shipping.

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."

This charming multicolored turtle figurine from Mexico will be a cheerful addition to your home decor. Artisans Jesus and Roxana Hernandez handcraft the turtle from copal wood, painting it with the detailed motifs that are distinctive to alebrije artwork.

The alebrije tradition started with Mexico City papier mache artisan Pedro Linares (1906-1992). When he was 30, he fell into a coma due to serious illness. While he was unconscious, he dreamed 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. Upon recovering, Linares recreated these figures in bright colors using papier mache techniques and called them alebrijes. His work became famous and was one of the main influences of artisans in the state of Oaxaca who began crafting alebrijes of their own using traditional wood carving methods.

Artisans Jesus and Roxana Hernandez of Mexico hand-paint this charming hummingbird alebrije ornament sky blue with red details on the tail and multicolor designs on the body. Hanging from a yellow ribbon, the bird is crafted from copal wood. Small parts are separated for shipping to protect from breakage.

The alebrije tradition started with Mexico City papier mache artisan Pedro Linares (1906-1992). When he was 30, he fell into a coma due to serious illness. While he was unconscious, he dreamed 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. Upon recovering, Linares recreated these figures in bright colors using papier mache techniques and called them alebrijes. His work became famous and was one of the main influences of artisans in the state of Oaxaca who began crafting alebrijes of their own using traditional wood carving methods.

This dancing frog, all in blue, captivates with the vibrancy of Mexican artistry. Zeny and Reyna transform a branch of the copal tree into the whimsical creature and paint it by hand in the style of Oaxaca's alebrije sculptures.