oaxacan art animals

This cute cat tags along on every literary journey, always keeping track of where to start next time. Just like every good story, the existence of this cat arises from a dream - that of Pablo and Lucy Mendez, artisans from Oaxaca, Mexico who specialize in the art of alebrije. Working with wood that regenerates from their copal tree plantations, Pablo and Lucy create this feline-themed bookmark using techniques they learned from their parents, aunts and uncles.

The brainchild of the famed Mexican artist Pedro Linares, alebrije blossomed in 1936 as his reaction to the fantastical world imagined while drifting in and out of consciousness during a battle with serious illness. Animal characters rule Linares' imagined world, existing in forms not witnessed in our reality.

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.

With discipline and long practice, artisans Jesus and Roxana Hernandez have mastered the unique folk art form known as alebrijes. Here they craft a magnificent hummingbird from copal wood and paint it in brilliant shades of lime green, fuchsia, red, and orange. Each feather and wing is meticulously detailed on this admirable sculpture. Small parts are separated for shipping to protect from breakage.

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.

Beautifully carved and painted by hand, this fun set of four ornaments is from Esteban Hernandez in Mexico. The artisan works in the style of alebrijes, a popular Oaxacan folk art form. Each of the four small fish ornaments is painted in a different colour scheme.

Build motivation to read through that stack of must-reads with this cute butterfly-adorned bookmark. Oaxaca-based artisan couple Pablo and Lucy Mendez carve, polish and paint this bookmark based on their own design inspired by the emblematic alebrije style synthesized by famed artist Pedro Linares in 1936. Hand-painted in vivid orange, yellow, green and purple swirls and arched curves, this bookmark demonstrates the beauty of alebrije art.