art pieces

Warm colours 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.

A delightful piece of decor, this alebrije cricket statuette is painted in bright shades of yellow and red. 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.