The
artistic process and techniques used in the
creation of these captivating wooden
Alebrijes.
 Alebrijes
are carved wooden figures created by
Oaxacan artisans. They have become so
popular that even the world’s most respected
Spanish language authority, the La Real
Academia de la Lengua Española, Spanish
Royal Academy, has included the term “Alebrijes”
in its official Spanish language
dictionary. The term “Alebrijes”
originated from the name that Mr.
Pedro Linares, of Mexico City, gave
to his fantastic creations of paper maché;
which are internationally recognized.
Most Oaxacan artisans
simply call them figuras
"wooden figures", naming them after the
animal which they carved, such as the deer,
raccoon, leopard, etc., but when a fantastic
figure is elaborated, the artisan is
compelled to say he has created an "alebrije."
The creative process in
making a wooden figure begins with the
artisan imagining a form. On occasion, ideas
arise spontaneously but sometimes artisans
take days or even months imagining a very
special figure. The wooden piece is then
chosen. It will be used to create the figure
that is in his mind. Most artisans use “copalillo”
wood to carve their figures. A few others
use the "tzomplantle" and
cedar.
 The
"copalillo" is a tree that
grows in warm regions of Oaxaca. There are
several species and scientifically it is
classified as belonging to the "Burseras"
family. Artisans classify “copalillo”
trees as being either male or female. This
differentiation is quickly made by simply
looking at the tree and smelling it.
The ideal "copal
or copalillo" is the female,
which doesn't have "knots" in its bark and
smells somewhat like a lime (citric fruit).
The female is used because it is softer and
easier to carve. The male copal
is not used because of imperfections in its
bark and its hardness; which makes it
extremely difficult to carve.
Once the branch or the
wooden piece has been selected, it is cut
from the tree.
Some artisans prefer to
carve the wood immediately to take advantage
of the softness of the wood, while others
leave it to dry in the sun for two or three
days.
 Once
in the shop, its shell is removed. Initial
cuts are made with the machete to
form a rough idea of what the artisan has
imagined. This gives it an initial
proportion and size. Eventually during the
process they start using finer and sharper
blades that are more precise and make finer
cuts. Some artisans use other tools apart
from knives and blades; for example,
chisels, mallets, blades of different shapes
and sizes, etc.
Once the figure has been
carved, it is exposed to the sun. The amount
of time the figure spends under the sun
depends on the size of the figure: the small
ones only a day, the big ones up to a month.
Some artisans prefer drying the figures in
the shade so that the drying is more natural
and not so abrupt and exposed to the sun’s
rays.
 After
making sure the figure is completely dry the
artisan proceeds to sand the figure down.
Sanding can take anywhere from an hour to a
whole day. This also depends on the size of
the figure.
Once the figure has been
sanded down, gasoline or some other type of
liquid is applied to protect against insects
like the moth or powder-post beetle.
(This method may or may not
eliminate wood boring insects. It may help
but freezing the carvings is recommended )
If the wood has imperfections, it is
retouched with wood putty or with the same
wood dust that was left from the figure when
it was sanded down, mixing it with white
glue.
Once the figure is
completely smooth and any imperfections have
been covered, a coat of color paint is
applied over it. This will serve as base for
the decoration. Brushes and paintbrushes of
all sizes are used in the painting of the
figures. The decoration depends on the
imagination, ability and dedication of each
artisan. The amount of detail in a figure
indicates the amount of time the artisan
invested in the elaboration of that figure.
 The
first artisans struggled greatly to find the
appropriate tools and paint to create their
figures. But with time decoration and
carving techniques evolved.
The evolution and improvement of carving
techniques is demonstrated by the way newer
figures are made. In the past it was very
common for artisans to assemble a figure
from several pieces. Nowadays there is a
tendency toward elaborating figures in a
single piece; only leaving some detachable
parts as the ears or the horns.
As for the painting, the first figures were
colored in a rustic way using natural paint
such as lime and nopal
cochinilla cochineal.
Maguey thorns, reed chips with tips and
toothpicks were used for the decoration of
points; now there are appropriate
paintbrushes to carry out the dotting, the
lining or the stains; of course, the only
thing that you cannot substitute is the
genius and the artisan's ability.
Each artisan uses or modifies his tools in
order to make it easier to capture his
creativity in the wood; giving life to an
un-replicable, unrepeatable and unique
figure.
 The
artisan always puts all of his effort and
heart into his work and leaves a trace of
his very being in each figure that leaves
his hands.
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