Workshop: Javier and María Soledad Jiménez

Alebrijes, Tonas and Nahuales

Catalogue:

Javier and María Soledad Jiménez , artists  from Oaxaca

A passionate craftsman, Javier began to familiarize himself with brushes at an early age, painting landscapes that over time will become marvelous flower carvings and patterns such as carnations and Isthmian flowers, inspired by the embroidery that women from this and other regions , they use in their clothing. Javier’s project began to grow when he married Maria Soledad Fabian, who brought a touch of elegance with her delicate lines and color degradation. Over time, the workshop has grown and now has 15 young artisans working together around the same table, each with their own talent and personality. “The process that we carry from its beginning to the end is totally manual. We first choose the piece of copal wood to form the piece and begin to draw. Once finished, the drawing is minced with the knife until the drawn patterns are in relief. When the wood is completely emptied, we sand and clean all the remaining imperfections and begin the process of drying and curing the piece. The duration of this process depends on the size and thickness of it. Everything has to be perfectly smooth and dry before starting with the decoration details. “