traditional sculpture

Eliasu Adams draws inspiration from his culture to create a gorgeous key chain full of Ghana's spirit. After hand-carving a traditional ebony wood comb, the artisan embellishes his creation with recycled glass and sese wood beads, all joined by a stainless steel ring.

Ghanaian artisan Eliasu Adams finds inspiration in his culture to create a marvelous key chain full of pride and tradition. After hand-carving an ebony wood charm in the shape of Africa, the artisan embellishes his creation with recycled glass and sese wood beads, all joined by a stainless steel ring.

Unlock a world of beauty every time you reach for your keys with Hugo Pichiya's extraordinary creation. This oval keychain, crafted from reclaimed pinewood, showcases a woman carrying water home in San Juan Comalapa using a traditional jug known as tinaja. The artisan's skilled hand-carving and delicate painting techniques transform this eco-friendly material into a pocket-sized gallery piece. Complete with a nickel ring and chain, this unique accessory will be a daily reminder of Guatemala's rich cultural heritage.

This adorable key fob is hand crafted by Claudio Ojeda in Mexico. The panda alebrije is carved from copal wood and painted in black and white and myriad patterns and shapes in pink and purple. The wood figurine adorns a stainless steel key ring. The artisan signs his pieces with the initials "T.C.", which represent his initial "C" preceded by his mother Teresita's initial "T". Claudio learned the art of crafting alebrijes from his mother.

The folk art tradition of alebrijes dates back to the 1930's in Mexico City. A man named Pedro Linares was taken ill, and in his fevered dreams he saw a strange land populated with curious creatures--a donkey with wings, a rooster with bull's horns, and a lion with the head of a dog. The beasts all shouted "alebrije! alebrije!". Upon his recovery, Linares began recreating the fantastical creatures he had seen in his dream. The art form gained popularity, and alebrijes are now made of wood as well as papier mache.