In the 1930's families carved toys for their children and masks for religious festivals and carnivals, but it wasn't until the 1980's that the demand for Oaxacan carvings became popular. In 1992 the Smithsonian featured well known Oaxacan carvers, and American Folk Art dealers then flocked to Oaxaca to begin their collections of these unique works of art. Painted woodcarving is a major art form and source of income in three pueblos near Oaxaca City.
Born and raised in the village of San MartÃn Tilcajete, Zeny Fuentes grew up surrounded by the vibrant woodcarvings of Oaxaca, with his father, renowned artist Epifanio Fuentes as his mentor. Here he describes the soft Copal wood primarily used for these carvings. This tree is indigenous only to Oaxaca.
We were told that the main carving tool is the machete, demonstrated here by Zeny, beginning to shape the form of a cat. This is surprising because of the intricacy of small detail some carvings show.
Here is a partially finished cat.
One of the daughters of the patriarch Fuentes is the acrylic paint artist.
We purchased this small gecko for our RV. It now crawls up to see the time of day by our entrance.
We also purchased this small napkin holder, and some small cats for the kids.
These are some large carvings - quite impressive all. Double-click to zoom, Browser Back to continue.
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