Oaxacan Wood Carving Mario Castellanos Snake Oaxaca Mexican Folk Art Alebrije

Description: DROP DEAD GORGEOUS ONE-PIECE COILED DESERT RATTLESNAKE RATTLE SNAKE OAXACA WOOD CARVING BY THE HIGHLY TALENTED MASTER CARVER MARIO CASTELLANOS STUNNING CARVING! A GREAT SENSE OF DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE MOTION FROM ONE SOLID PIECE OF TRADITIONAL COPAL WOOD! WONDERFUL WORK IN A HAND CARVED PIECE! MUSEUM QUALITY AND DETAILED CARVING WITH FINE PAINTING! Mario Castellanos is one of the most incredibly talented and sought after Oaxacan wood carvers out there! His work is just fantastic, filled with intricate movement and character. He is able to carve figures that very few would even try. His beginning claims to fame were his lizards and iguanas, all carved out of one single piece of copal wood, and with the amazingly coiled tails that many other artists have tried to copy. But modern day has seen him expand his talents to a wide variety of animal figures, all with an incredible level of detail and precision! We are so proud to carry his work! Mario is a true artistic genius, whose work is full of whimsy and creativity. His work truly is a level above most carvers. Mario's work is so gorgeous and so purely sculptural that he was selected by the Marshall M Fredericks Sculpture Museum as one of only eight artists from Oaxaca, across various sculptural art mediums, to be featured in an exhibit in June of 2017. The exhibit proved so popular that it continued on at Wayne State University. Mario Castellanos was selected by both locations to attend and demonstrate his carving techniques. Mario has been featured at museums in California and Arizona, among others. This level of an exquisitely detailed carving from another well-known carver would easily cost three times the price! Grab it while you can! This work truly is a level above the rest, and you can readily see it in this cool serpent rattle snake, carved out of one single piece of Copal wood (except for the removable tongue)! The carving is packed with an incredible sense of motion in the some of the most outstanding coils out there on a snake carving! The rattle at the end is carved with a great sense of textural appeal. The head sweeps outward and is capped off with a long and forked tongue, ready to strike from its coiled positioning. The intricacy in the carving is complemented with a bold painted design filled with both modern and traditional Zapotec Indian imagery! Each element of the design is painted with intricacy and attention to detail, and the color combination choice is fantastic. The detail in this piece is awe inspiring. There are no removable parts beyond the tongue, and the rattlesnake is signed by the artist. Approximate Measurements: 2 3/4" high x 7 1/4" wide x 5" deep Oaxacan wood carvings start out traditionally with a piece of Copal wood, either a piece of the trunk, or one of the magnificent branches of the tree. The Copal wood is a soft wood that is similar to a balsa wood, but the Copal is indigenous to Southern Mexico. After the animal wood carvings from Oaxaca became extremely popular, the Mexican government stepped in to control the supply of the wood, and even created a biosphere to preserve the species. Artists are no longer able to cut trees down though and must pay increasingly higher prices to obtain a supply of this wood from authorized dealers who maintain a cap on the supply. Currently many artists recognize the importance of preserving these trees and have communal programs in the villages to replant the Copal, since the tree actually takes about 25 years to mature. The Copal tree takes on a cultural and religious significance in the community as well, since the sap of the tree is used for making incense that is often valued for its ceremonial usage. The figures are first carved while the wood is green, and the artist is able to carve out fantastic details since the wood is so soft. Other wood can be used, so at times you will find cedar or pine, but Copal is the most commonly used wood. The rough outline is done with a large machete, and the positioning of the figure is often determined by the shape of the piece of wood that is sourced. A carver can take a look at the piece of wood and envision just what kind of animal they will be able to carve, and how to position it. Further refinements to the carving are done using gradually smaller rustic knives, usually fashioned locally from whatever is available. After the figure is carved, it is sanded smooth and left to dry. The drying process can take several months if it is a large piece. While it is drying, the wood will often crack, and then the artist will fill these cracks using wood chips and filler, before again having to sand the figure down. the most valuable carvings are often one-piece carvings, carved out of a single piece of wood, but you will often find removable parts like tails and ears, that make transporting these a little easier. A sense of motion in the piece is another sign of quality, as it is also a measure of the degree in difficulty achieved in the particular piece. Twisted bodies, turned heads, raised legs, curved bodies and tails are all indications that an extra amount of work went into the piece of art. Many of the older pieces were painted with natural analine or coal-based dyes, but these often faded over time, so most artists switched many years ago to acrylic paint. With the acrylics, more cheerful colors can be achieved, and the paint is more long lasting. We love the sense of color in these cheerful carvings! Oaxacan wood carvings became commonly referred to as Alebrijes, especially after the movie Coco came out, but the term alebrije actually is attributed to the Linares Family who create fantastical paper maiche figures in Mexico City. The term was widely used in Oaxaca after a joint exhibition that was done where both Pedro Linares of Mexico City and Manuel Jimenez of Oaxaca were present. Manuel Jimenez became the driving force behind Oaxacan wood carvings and is said to have been influenced by the colors that he saw in the work of Pedro Linares. But the actual term "Alebrije" is actually said to have come to Pedro Linares in a dream about fantasy creatures. There is much debate currently in Mexico about the use of this terminology, and who should have the right to use it. As a result in Oaxaca, you will also see the terms Tonas and Nahuales, which refer to spirit animals and mystical creatures that take on both human and animal forms. Another term used is Tallas de Madera, or simply wood carvings from Oaxaca. Popular culture, however, has made it more difficult for the artists not to use the term Alebrije when referring to their carved figures, since more and more people have become accustomed to the terminology. It will be quite interesting to see how this plays out in the future.

Price: 380 USD

Location: Blaine, Washington

End Time: 2024-12-20T06:06:54.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD