small sculptures

This irresistible small sculpture of a white rabbit is from Bali's Nengah Sudarsanah. The artisan carves the sweet bunny by hand from suar wood, and finishes it with acrylic paints.

Resting quietly, a small white rabbit has droopy ears. This breed is known as a lop-eared bunny. Nengah Sudarsana depicts the beautiful creature in a suar wood sculpture, carved and painted by hand.

Standing tall with its wings spread in a proud posture, this majestic heron sculpture will surely make an excellent addition to your home decor. Working in the Mexican folk art tradition of alebrijes, artisans Pablo and Lucy Mendez create the heron. They carve this impressive sculpture of copal wood and paint it by hand. 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.

Jaifah Aksornsri finds inspiration in the architectural styles of ancient Lanna temples for the design of this spirit house. According to Thai customs, when people finish building their own houses they create a san phra poom, or guardian spirit house. A Buddhist ceremony takes place to invite a protective spirit to inhabit the small house. It is believed it will bring luck, happiness, success and security against mean spirits or enemies who might threaten the family or their home. Painted a glossy white, the wood spirit house glistens with red and clear mirrors.