Oaxacan Inspired Animal Paintings

Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, make up the 32 federate entities of Mexico. The Oaxaca region produces some of the finest handicrafts in Mexico, one of which are carvings known locally as alebrijes. A favorite Mexican folk art, alebrijes are small animal figurines that are hand-carved from the wood of the copal tree and intricately painted by hand, often with paints made from natural dyes such as pomegranate and huitlacoche (corn fungus), an ingredient you may not be familiar with until you go to Mexico. Translating to "imaginary" or "fantasy", the word alebrije is used to describe the whimsical style of the colorful painted creatures.

Oaxacans have carved toys for children and masks for religious fiestas for hundreds, perhaps thousands of

years. The style that dominates today, however, can be traced back to a single man, Manuel Jimenez. It was Jimenez who discovered the wood that all the carvers now use, copalillo, after experimenting with a dozen different trees. He moved beyond the popular tradition of miniature toy making and gave the carvings their larger scale, finer execution and more ambitious subject matter. Nowadays there are many talented master wood carvers in Oaxaca and they carve with machetes and knives, beautiful figures that they later paint in brightly colored designs. Through their never-ending creativity and imagination, wood is transformed into mermaids, wild animals, fantastic creatures, masks, angels and more! The work of these artists is being recognized by collectors, and is being presented in  galleries and museums through out the United States and other countries.

In this project, seventh graders created large (18" x 24" canvas boards) acrylic paintings of animals using Oaxaca woodcarvings as their inspiration. After choosing their animal, students created a simplified, stylized outline in pencil. Saturated background colors were mixed and filled in first before layers of colorful, whimsical pattern were incorporated into the design. Like the brightly patterned alebrijes of Oaxaca, these striking paintings have a fun, fantastical vibe to them. See for yourself!: