special gift

Life imitates art, as is evident in this terrific sculpture from Mexico's Jorge Escamilla. The ceramic and wire catrin figure is clad in a work apron as he crafts his own catrina from clay. Escamilla pays tribute to José Guadalupe Posada with his delightful statuette.
The original "La Calavera Catrina" was a zinc etching created by the artist José Guadalupe Posada in Mexico around 1910. Posada created the character, a female skeleton with an elegant hat, as a satirical portrait to lampoon Mexican natives who aspired to European style and denied their own heritage. The catrina has since become an emblem of Mexico's Day of the Dead celebration and a popular folk art subject.

In an homage to José Guadalupe Posada's "La Calavera Catrina", Mexico's Jorge Escamilla creates this unique sculpture. Wearing overalls and a hard hat and carrying a wrench and a lunchbox, the skeletal tradesman is crafted of clay and steel wire. The original "La Calavera Catrina" was a zinc etching created by the artist José Guadalupe Posada in Mexico around 1910. Posada created the character, a female skeleton with an elegant hat, as a satirical portrait to lampoon Mexican natives who aspired to European style and denied their own heritage. The catrina has since become an emblem of Mexico's Day of the Dead celebration and a popular folk art subject.

Working with recycled auto parts and scrap metal, Mexico's Armando Ramirez creates wonderful eco-friendly sculptures like this rustic surveyor. Wearing a hard hat, he peers through his theodolite, a precision instrument designed to measure angles between designated points. A safety cone at his feet completes the artisan's terrific design.

Sharing the same blanket, a mother and her young infant share a special moment. Presented by Eka in Bali, this lovely sculpture is hand-carved from a single piece of suar wood with an appealing natural grain.

This adorable retablo is the original creation of Alejandro Chavez in Peru. The wood and ceramic folk art accent features two levels. On the top, two Andean sweethearts express their love for each other while on the bottom, hand-crafted hearts are painted with the words Te amo (I love you). Retablos like this were inspired by the altarpieces first brought to Peru by Spanish conquerors.

With his pack slung over his shoulder, Buddha takes a stroll down a country road. Balinese artisan Sarwaedi hand-carves a suar wood sculpture, realizing this happy religious figure with an impressive degree of detail. He gives the sculpture a finish that accentuates the natural grain of the wood.

Engaged in an overhead press, a weightlifter shows off his strength. Mexican artisan Armando Ramirez creates the unique sculpture from recycled auto parts and scrap metal for an eco-friendly decorative accent or special gift.