El Tallador de Suenos, Oaxaca, Mexico
"Alebrijes" are fantastical wooden carved animals with bright and intricate painted designs. They are a popular folk art of Oaxaca. We visited the workshop of Manuel Jimenez Ramirez, now operated by his son and family. The workshop, near Monte Alban, is called El Tallador de Suenos (The Workshop of Dreams). There are hundreds of funny, frightening and charming figures of every animal from parrots to axolotls to rabbits to turkeys to lizards. All are intricately painted in vivid colors. There are a number of animals with human faces as well.
The carvings began when a young Manuel Jimenez Ramirez began whittling wood to entertain himself while tending the family sheep. The workshop includes a film about his artistic vision and a gallery of his evolving styles. There are hundreds of carvings for sale from palm-sized to large pieces.
I came home with a pangolin:
Comments
Post a Comment