carved bird

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.

A gentle hummingbird nudges the reader's attention toward the next page until it's time for a break; the perfect time to use this bookmark. Inspired by artist Pedro Linares' alebrije style, husband and wife team Pablo and Lucy Mendez hand-carve and paint this hummingbird-themed bookmark using traditional copal wood, native to their region of Mexico. For generations, the Mendez family has been transforming bare wood into imaginative representations of an animal-led utopia. Even after years of producing crafts in this style, Pablo and Lucy continue to marvel at the metamorphosis of conceptual designs into something they can see and feel.

No book can blend in when adorned with this bright pink flamingo bookmark hand-painted by artisans Pablo and Lucy Mendez of Oaxaca, Mexico. The flamingo features a lively multicolor design that represents truly Mexican artistic motifs while remaining sturdy thanks to its solid hard-carved copal wood construction. Pablo and Lucy want to preserve the wonderful creative traditions they have inherited from the previous generation by training their children and community in the techniques involved in their unique style of expression.