carved duck decoys

Reaching down to feed from a pool, a delightful duck makes a vibrant addition to your lawn decor with this flower pot. Mexican artisan Sergio Ponce designs the flower pot, which he crafts of ceramic and paints by hand with intricate designs and floral motifs. Says Ponce, "I love the great variety of colors and designs that I can transmit in each of my pieces, always maintaining excellent quality."

Suspended in mid-flight, this brilliantly colored hummingbird wall art transforms your space into a gallery of natural wonder. The hand-carved pinewood captures extraordinary detail in every feather and curve while bold, masterful painting brings the creature to vivid life against any backdrop. Created by skilled Mexican artisan Mariana Gonzalez, this captivating piece combines traditional woodworking techniques with contemporary artistic vision, resulting in a stunning celebration of her homeland's flora and fauna that adds character and storytelling to your home decor.

This enchanting hand-carved pinewood hummingbird bursts with vibrant colors that capture a moment of natural magic frozen in time. The intricate details showcase the extraordinary craftsmanship behind this standout piece while the rich painted accents create a striking focal point for any room. Artisan Mariana Gonzalez channels her deep connection to Mexico’s fauna into this spellbinding wall accent, bringing the beauty of her homeland’s wildlife directly into your space.

Skulls are a recurrent theme in Mexican handicrafts, reflecting the convivial and familiar attitudes of the Mexican people towards death. Artisans in San Martín Tilcajete in the state of Oaxaca apply their vast wood carving knowledge to various subjects, including skulls. Jesus and Roxana Hernandez of San Martín present a hand-carved copal wood skull figurine in a rich terracotta hue. The green, blue, and yellow circles containing geometric patterns on the skull's top and sides are meticulously painted by hand. Green borders surround the black eye sockets and nasal cavities while a red line separates the top row of immaculately white teeth from the bottom row.

Poised and ready to swoop in at the first sight of nectar is this inventively decorated hanging hummingbird alebrije from Mexican artisans Jesus and Roxana Hernandez of Oaxaca. Carved by hand from copal wood, the bird's red and purple body is adorned with small yellow blossoms. The removable wings and tail feathers are green and terracotta with yellow tips. The bird can be hung using the metal ring on its back. 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.

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.