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Mexican handicrafts
Mexico is an excellent source of beautiful arts and crafts. The nation's artisans are known for their use of vibrant colours, their stylish creativity and their imaginative expression. Wood carvings, clay figures, masks, tin art, rustic and fine pottery, and much more originate from the Latin American country.
Several sites on the internet offer broad selections of Mexican art. Dos Mujeres (www.mexicanfolkart.com) has alebrijes (fantastical carved or papier-mache mythological figures), nichos (shadow box-type enclosures with figures or images inside), masks, Talavera ceramics and numerous other items. Ornate tin mirrors by Arturo Sosa include the heart-shaped Corazon del Pueblo (below), which sells for US$395. Other interesting items on the Dos Mujeres site are Day of the Dead skeleton figures, most of which sell for US$10 to US$15.
Direct from Mexico (www.directfrommexico.com) sells a variety of goods gathered from 12 Mexican states. Its selection of Talavera ceramics includes octagonal plates in several patterns, at US$34.20 each; there is also an attractive set of three Talavera canisters (US$81) with a bold high-contrast design. Other items include mirrors, clay pottery, baskets, rustic iron hardware (hinges, brackets, doorknockers) and furniture - check out the mesquite clawfoot armchair, a solid-looking piece with boldly curving arms and a square back decorated with square perforations (US$615).
The proprietors of Milagros Seattle (www.milagrosseattle.com) travel by truck from village to village looking for pieces they like. They carry a mixture of pottery, tinwork, carvings, masks, nichos and other items. Their Day of the Dead figures include charming mermaid skeletons, available in several poses, at US$155 each. Papier-mache items by the Linares family include a skull brilliantly detailed in bright colours, for US$195.
Other sites are dedicated to a single art form. Port Wahakaa (www.oaxacanwoodcarving.com) works with about 40 artists specialising in the brightly coloured carvings found in Oaxaca. The site features information about styles of decoration unique to different villages, the significance of nature motifs and other topics. Carvings are sorted into four galleries: familiar (for example, a carnation-covered dog, US$55, by Candido Ojeda); exotic (lizards with loopy tails, US$35 and US$89, including one in purple with a red flame pattern by Yovani Castellanos); supernatural (monkey monk, US$59, by Josue Perez); and bizarre (a bushy-tailed blue yeti using sign language, US$79, by Angel Ramirez).
Fine Mexican Ceramics Art Gallery (www.mataortiz.com) sells handmade pots from the town of Mata Ortiz that synthesise symbolic pre-Hispanic imagery with contemporary design. Some examples: a fish effigy by Adrian Rojas in terracotta red matte clay with a white design in natural pigments, US$395; a pot decorated with skunks and geckos (above) by Manolo Rodriquez Guillen, US$875; and an elongated pot with a design incorporating multiple animal images in red, salmon, lavender and beige by Eli Navarrete Ortiz, US$795.
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