animal wood carving

Brighten up the day of the animal lover in your life with a perfect gift: this set of three figurines depicting a mother turtle with her children that will add charm and color to their space. Thai artisan Nongluck Cheananta designs the delightful figurines painted and carved by hand from raintree wood with a beautiful lustrous finish.

This excellent small dolphin sculpture is the original creation of Oaxacan artisans Jesus and Roxana Hernandez. They work in the folk art style of alebrijes to carve the figurine from copal wood and paint it meticulously by hand.

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 ran at him, shouting the nonsense word,"alebrije! alebrije!". Upon his recovery, Linares began recreating the fantastical creatures he had seen in his dream in papier mache. The art form gained popularity, and alebrijes are now made of wood as well as papier mache.

A serene young tree frog clasps its forefeet as though in prayer. This whimsical image comes from Nengah Sudarsana, who shares his love for animals through his work. Carved from Balinese albesia wood, the sculpture is beautifully painted by hand.

Carved from Thai santol wood, a green giraffe observes the world around it. Plake Kijfuangfoo celebrates his love for animals with a whimsical sculpture. He stamps it with his signature — PK 14.

A realistic tree frog comes to life in hand-carved and painted copal wood. Pablo and Lucy Mendez carry on the traditional alebrije folk art they learned from their own parents. This charming creature brings a touch of whimsy to any setting.

Oaxaca's alebrije tradition derives from the art of Pedro Linares (1906-1992), a Mexico City papier mache artist. While in a coma during a serious illness, he found himself in a dream forest with fanciful creatures made with body parts from different animals. They cried, "Alebrije" Alebrije!" When he awakened, Linares crafted the figures in papier mache and his influence reached to Oaxaca, where they are carved from copal wood.

Because each sculpture is an individually created work of folk art, shapes are dictated by the wood branch and may vary slightly.

A delightful piece of decor, this alebrije cricket statuette is painted in bright shades of green. Mexican artisans Pablo and Lucy Mendez handcraft the cricket from copal wood. Small parts are separated for shipping to protect from breakage.

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.

From the Mexican state of Oaxaca comes a hand painted armadillo alebrije who swaps some of its scales for colorful dots and rhombuses. Presented by Jesus and Roxana Hernandez of San Martín Tilcajete, the hand carved copal wood figurine is moss green and scaly except for two middle sections of its back; these feature triangles and small and large dots in pink, green, blue, and red. The removable tail is hand painted as well in purple, green, yellow, and blue. Small parts are separated for shipping to protect from breakage.

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.

Working in the traditional Oaxacan folk art of alebrijes, Jesus and Roxana Hernandez in Mexico create this lovely sculpture. The figurine is carved from copal wood and hand painted in meticulous detail.

Designed by Indian artisan Sajad, this strikingly beautiful elephant sculpture will enhance the decor of any room. The sculpture is carved from weeping willow wood, covered in papier-mâché, and buffed to a smooth finish. Oil paints in magnificent hues of green and gold cover the regal elephant with a glossy, floral robe.

Bring prosperity and fortune with this set of two sculptures hand-carved in Thailand by Supachaya. Elephants are adorable creatures often present in religious and sacred images, inspiring the artisan to make these fascinating decorative items from teak wood. Supachaya adds traditional details enhanced by a green tone, all by hand for a detailed finish.

Perceived by the Maya and Aztecs as a divine creature, the quetzal is today an emblem of Guatemala's diverse nature. Artisan Manuel Delfino expresses his love and pride for this enchanting bird in this pinewood figurine, hand-carved and painted by himself. The piece, masterfully finished with floral details, also displays a harmonious palette of green hues.

Ducks are often related to cheerfulness, loyalty and protection. These sweet birds inspire Java's Ira S. to hand-carve cheerful wood sculptures from bamboo and teak wood. This time, Ira depicts a duck as a hard-working elf wearing the traditional Christmas attire and a little green hat.