painted crosses

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 rose and gold cover the regal elephant with a glossy, floral robe.

Designed by Indian artisan Sajad, this strikingly beautiful set of elephant sculptures--featuring a mother elephant and her child--will enhance the decor of any room. Each sculpture is carved from weeping willow wood, covered in papier-mâché, and buffed to a smooth finish. Oil paints in magnificent hues of red and gold cover each sculpture with a glossy, floral robe.

This strong bull, hand-carved from copal wood, has a flaming aura thanks to its exquisitely hand-painted design. Red, orange and yellow hues cover this alebrije figurine, handcrafted by Mexican artisans Zeny and Reyna as a symbol of the region's strength and bravery.

Alebrijes are often a hybrid of real animals, such as elephants and crocodiles, or they can be more fantastical creatures, such as dragons. Artisan Teresita Gonzalez of Xoxocotlan in the Mexican state of Oaxaca creates an elaborately hand carved copal wood alebrije dragonfly, or libelula. The insect is beautifully painted in bold red with accents of black, blue and yellow. Small parts are separated for shipping to protect from breakage.

It is said that Oaxaca's alebrije tradition descends directly from Mexico City 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.

Carved in the shape of a dolphin, this copal wood sculpture is hand painted in the traditional style of alebrijes, a folk art form originating in Oaxaca. Jesus and Roxana Hernandez cover the sculpture with a dizzying array of motifs in red, orange, aqua and white.