jesus carving

Warm colors and festive motifs capture Pedro Linares' eccentric and fantastical imagination, adding a characteristic vibe to Jesus and Roxana Hernandez's newest figurine. Part of Pedro Linares' Alebrije art style, this copal wood piece from Mexico takes the form of a cute chameleon, whose honey base hue painted by hand exquisitely blends with turquoise, blue and purple shades.

Hand-carved from copal wood, this precious Alebrije figurine captures the classic essence of Pedro Linares' art style in each hand-painted detail decorating its exquisite design. Mexican artisans Jesus and Roxana Hernandez work long hours on the piece, decorating this stunning snake with a graceful palette of amber, green and pink hues.

Crafted from jute and agave fiber with accents of handwoven cotton in yellow and other colors, Joseph and Mary gather over baby Jesus. El Salvador's Marcela Moran creates this hope-inspiring nativity sculpture, which is displayed atop a round base of cortez wood.

Mexico's pre-Hispanic cultures honored their dead through celebrations and commemorations; after the arrival of the Spaniards, these cultural traditions became fused with the Catholic church's rituals and holidays, notably All Souls' Day in November which is now commonly known as the Day of the Dead. Influenced by these ancestral customs, artisans have been creating handicrafts using skull imagery for centuries. Jesus and Roxana Hernandez of the Mexican state of Oaxaca present this eye-catching skull-shaped home decor piece carved by hand from copal wood. Against a yellow base color, black lines are drawn to simulate a scaly texture, then the skull is further hand decorated with patches of geometric patterns on the top and sides in red, green, and pink. The dark eye sockets and nasal cavities are outlined in blue and green. Two rows of pearly white teeth complete the colorful cranium.

Jesus and Roxana Hernandez handcraft this lovely Mexican alebrije of copal wood. Each alebrije is unique, with the artisans using the natural shape of the copal wood to help determine the final form of the carving. With yellow and red plumage tipped in purple, it will delight you with all the hand-painted details. The bird has an unobtrusive hook on its back for easy hanging, and small parts are separated for shipping to protect from breakage.

This fantastical pink and yellow iguana alebrije from Oaxaca artisans Jesus and Roxana Hernandez seems unable to decide on a standard appearance, so it adopts several different facades. The sides look like they're covered in scales, a sky blue spine appears on the back and tail, and the legs have mottled yellow and red skin. Hand carved from copal wood, the iguana's decoration is done by hand.

It is said that Oaxaca's alebrije tradition descends directly from Mexico City papier mache artisan Pedro Linares (1906-1992). When he was 30, he became seriously ill and fell into a sort of coma. While he was unconscious, he had a most fantastic dream. 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, and when Linares woke up, he recreated these figures in vivid colors using papier mache techniques and called them alebrijes . His work became famous and eventually influenced artisans in the state of Oaxaca who decided to craft alebrijes using traditional wood carving methods and according to that region's world vision.