guatemala handmade items

Mauricio Morales crafts a small ceramic bird figurine that features exquisite hand painted detailing. "The process for making these small animals was something I learned when I was small...since then it has become a passion of mine," says the Guatemalan artisan, adding that the bird sculpture is made for, "...all of those who love birds." He starts by mixing the clay and carefully shaping the figure,and then he adds aluminum legs and feet. After the bird is fired, he sands it, mixes his own colors and paints the figurine. The result is a charming and precise depiction of a jacobin hummingbird complete with blue head, slender bill, white belly, and green plumage.

Mauricio Morales crafts a small ceramic bird figurine that features exquisite hand painted detailing. "The process for making these small animals was something I learned when I was small...since then it has become a passion of mine," says the Guatemalan artisan, adding that the bird sculpture is made for, "...all of those who love birds." He starts by mixing the clay and carefully shaping the figure, and then he adds aluminum legs and feet. After the bird is fired, he sands it, mixes his own colors and paints the figurine. The result is a charming, painstaking rendering of a red-tailed hawk, complete with curved beak, mottled breast, and red tail feathers.

"I am a man of fervent faith, so I feel very happy when I'm handcrafting Christmas ornaments," confides Jose Arriola. He paints each figurine by hand featuring abstract images of birds and flowers with the bright colors of his beloved Guatemala. The set of six ornaments hang from bright red ribbons and arrives in a traditional pedal-loomed cotton pouch

Mauricio Morales crafts a petite ceramic bird figurine that features exquisite hand painted detailing. "The process for making these small creatures was something I learned when I was small. Since then, it has become a passion of mine," says the Guatemalan artisan, adding that the sculpture is made for, "all of those who love birds." He starts by mixing the clay and carefully shaping the figure, and then he adds aluminum legs and feet. After the bird is fired, he sands it, mixes his own colors and paints the figurine. The result is a charming and precise depiction of a female cardinal complete with red-orange bill and reddish crest.

"When I was a little boy I loved everything that had to do with the sea and its creatures, especially seahorses. They are so morphologically different to the rest of the fish that I was fascinated by them. This childhood interest now inspires me to design these ornaments," confides José Arriola. The Guatemalan artisan handcrafts the ornaments of ceramic and paints each one with acrylics with different themes. The six ornaments hangs from bright red ribbons, and the set arrives in a traditional cotton pouch woven on a pedal-loom.

Mauricio Morales crafts a small ceramic bird figurine that features exquisite hand painted detailing. "The process for making these small animals was something I learned when I was small...since then it has become a passion of mine," says the Guatemalan artisan, adding that the bird sculpture is made for, "...all of those who love birds." He starts by mixing the clay and carefully shaping the figure, and then he adds aluminum legs and feet. After the bird is fired, he sands it, mixes his own colors and paints the figurine. The result is a charming and precise depiction of a green-breasted mango hummingbird complete with slender bill, green plumage, and orange-brown tail feathers.