Mexican Art - Oaxaca Woodcarving - Los Alebrijes by Jacobo Angeles

Jacobo أپngeles (born 1973), learned from his father the art of woodcarving at the young age of 12. Jacob acquired further knowledge from old masters of woodcarving from San Martin Tilcajete Zapotec villages. His wife, Marأ­a (b. 1977) also from an artistic family, is responsible for the detailed painting of the figures. Other family members support both of them during varied procedures, which are necessary to complete the uniqueness of the copal. The wood carving of أپngeles is a major component of many galleries and private collections. Some were already exhibited in museums in Tokyo, San Francisco and Chicago.

The wood carving goes back to pre-hispanic roots in the Oaxaca region. Jacobo and Maria want to preserve their art heritage of the great Zapotecs. In their Reportoire one finds mostly animal figures, which point mostly to Zapote calendrical and mythological significance. They include for example the Jaguar, the Iguana, a Rabbit, a Frog and a tortoise, but also animal figures which can be actualized according to customer demand. All figures distinguish themselves through unique attitudes and body language.

They are polished and refined with the finest painting of natural colors. Maria developed a unique style reflecting the Zapotec culture. The basis of her figures is the wood of the copal. Preferably the wood of the female trees, since the wood is well suited for figures made of one piece of wood. After beating the wood, it is relatively soft and can be formed relatively easily with non mechanical tools such as machetes and sichels. After several days a "rawfigure" emerges and now is inserted for several hours into a special tincture consisting of gasoline and insecticide, in order to make any "blind passengers", such as wood worms harmless. Thereafter follows a drying process in the Oaxaca sun for several months. This produces many fine cracks in the wood. With a paste made of fine sawdust they are carefully filled. Of course the flour has to be smoked first.

What follows are several weeks of painting of the figures. Original Colors are used from fruits, vegetables, tree bark and clay but also insects, such as the red pigment of blood Kaktuslaus (cochineal), all of which form the basis.

Jacobo holds in his hand some of the dried and powdered bark of the male copal. A dash of lime juice shows it is a soft brown. A true black is created by adding lime. Add a little baking powder and lime juice and the color changes to a bright yellow. Add more baking powder and there is a bright magenta.

A new base is created through crushed seeds of the pomegranate. And add a little lime it creates a green. Jacobo mixed the green with the Magena, and receives a deep blue. Add some zinc and it turns gray. Even more zinc and the gray turns white. The fermented and powdered corn fungus called huitlacoche, a delicacy in Mexico, has a beautiful ocher color and the dried and crushed cactus lice bring out various vibrant reds.

To prevent the fading of these bright colors, the natural colors are mixed with a tincture of Copalharz and honey. This gives the objects a gentle glow. Acquiring an object from the factory "Angeles", you are assured a top quality acquisition of great appreciation in value.

Build Your Own Woodcarving Bench

Whether wood carving is just a weekend hobby or a serious pursuit, you may eventually wish to have a carving bench. You can build your own bench with minimal effort and benefit from having the perfect place to carve your creations.

In order to ensure safety, a stable bench is important. You will want your seat to be the right height so that you can sit up straight and aren't slumping over your work. You will need to decide if you want your bench to also provide tool storage, a vice, and whether or not you want it to have flat or tilted surface. Study commercial benches for ideas.

Once you have decided on what you need, you can start building. If you will be attaching a vice make sure the bench is heavy enough so that it will remain stable. If you carve heavy pieces you will also need to ensure that your bench can support the weight. Choose sturdy wood that is free of knot holes and cracks. You do not want any weak spots on your wood carving bench.

Six feet is a good length for a bench. You can use 2x4's cut to length for the top of your bench. 2x3's can be used for the legs. Make sure the legs are well braced so that your bench remains sturdy. If you are going to add shelves, you may want to make them removable so that you can enlarge your work space if needed. Adding a drawer is an excellent idea as it will give you a safe place to store your wood carving tools so they do not get damaged.

By designing and building your own bench you will have a good place to work that is suited specifically to your needs.

Woodcarving Knife - Why and Which One?

Carving wood can result in numerous sculptures and useful items. The end-result of carving woods will be soothing for the eye of the beholder. For this beautiful creation, the wood carving knife plays a vital role. Woodcarving knives are an extremely pertinent one of them. The use of these wood carving knives are as tools to round, smooth and trim woods while carving woods for creating an item.

The knives for carving woods will consist of two main parts - handle and the blade. The handle of a woodcarving knife will be long. This is to ensure a strong grip while working. Secondly, the blade of the knife will be unusually thin. The thin blade is necessary for a good control over the blade that is crucial for some exceptionally sophisticated works on woods.

Depending on the tasks of the carver, the types of wood carving knives will vary. In most of the cases, there are three types of wood carving knives. These are "Detail", "Carving" and "Roughing". These knives have varying length of both handles and the blades. Roughing knives have both the longest handle and the longest blade among the three. "Detail" knives have slightly shorter blade length that the "Carving" type. The tasks of each of these three knives also vary. "Roughing" knives take care of the bulk of the woods quickly. As a result, the blade of the "Roughing" type does not necessary be particularly delicate. The "Detail", on the other hand, handles extremely delicate touch of the carving tasks. "Carving" knives usage is the most and for any task between the most delicate and the roughest.

The quality of woodcarving task depends on how delicately the carver handles the wood carving knife set. The handling of the knives, on the other hand, depends on the easiness. This easiness comes from the handle of the wood carving knife set. A handle needs to fit in properly in the hand of the carver. The ergonomic design ensures that the carver does not get tired or can move the knife easily to produce subtle details in a work. The carver should test this before deciding on a woodcarving knife.

The strength of the blade is also crucial. Woodcarving works are on both hard and soft woods. The hard woods are harder to carve than the soft ones. However, the former is more durable than the latter. The choice of the blade is dependent in the woods. To work on soft wood, a slightly softer blade may suffice, while the hard wood will require a hard blade. However, in either case, preference of the blade to be professionally sharpened. The sharp blade ensures easiness of carving tasks, especially for those that require long hours of work.

Typically, a woodcarving knife set may not be enough for carving tasks. Every wood needs some pre-processing before its construction, suitable for actual carving tasks. Therefore, the knives should be complemented by a variety of other tools. Some of these tools include gouge, mallet and chisel. Normally, the carving task begins with a large piece of wood. Gouge may quickly bring that into shape. Mallet and chisel may also be required to shape a hard portion of wood for carving.

The end-result of a woodcarving task begins in the imagination of the carver. The knives are essential to translate that imagination into reality. The choice of a knife or sets of knives depends on the experience level of the carver and the detail of the work. There is nothing universal about which knife to be used. Therefore, just choose the one that best suits you and your work.

Albrecht Durer - A Northern Renaissance Phenomenon in Painting, Woodcarving, and Copper Engraving

Albrecht Durer, a German painter, theorist, and printmaker, was recognized as one of the most important contributors of Renaissance in Northern Europe. His paintings depict his scrupulous attention to detail. He was born on May 21, 1471, in Nuremberg. His father was a goldsmith from Hungary, who immigrated to Germany in 1455. Albrecht Durer became an apprentice under his father and learnt from him goldsmithing and the fundamentals of drawing. Later, due to his prolific talent in drawing, Albrecht was trained under Michael Wolgemut at the age of 15 in 1486. While working under him, Durer nurtured his knowledge by learning woodcarving and copper engraving. The earliest work by the artist was in 1484, a self-portrait, "When I was a Child," in silverpoint.

As per Germany's apprentice training custom, 'Wanderjahre,' Albrecht left for North Europe in 1940 and travelled through Basel & Colmar in 1492, Strassbourg in 1493, to return to Nuremburg on July 7, 1494. On July 9, 1494, Albrecht was married to Agnes Frey, the daughter of a local businessperson. Within a quarter of his marriage, the artist alone ventured out to explore Italy. While travelling through Alps, the artist gave some of the first landscape paintings to Western Art, "Nemesis" being one of those. Albrecht's paintings demonstrated the influence of Italian painters, such as Antonio Pollaiuolo and Lorenzo di Credi. He regarded Giovanni Bellini, the great Italian artist, as his mentor.

After his return to Nuremberg in 1495, the artist started his workshop, where he ventured into woodcarving and would carry out the tedious form of printmaking effortlessly. The several wooden carvings he created depict religious influences, as in his masterpiece, "Apocalypse (1498)." Albrecht created sixteen designs of this work, famous among them is "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1497-98)." The series brought instant recognition to Albrecht, including from his European contemporaries. His other famous woodcarvings include a series of eleven designs on the "Holy Family" and a series of seventeen designs on the "Life of the Virgin (1503-1505)." Albrecht Durer also started experimenting with copper engravings. These works are themed around Madonna, religious figures, and commoners. His famous works of copper engravings span from "The Sea Monster (1498)," "Saint Eustace (1501)," to "Nemesis (1502)."

During 1505-1507, Durer again visited Italy and started using his paint on linen. While in Italy, the artist created famous altarpieces, such as "Paumgartner" and "the Adoration of the Magi." After returning to Nuremberg in mid 1507, he created other famous paintings, such as "Adam and Eve (1507)" and "Virgin with the Iris (1508)." From 1512, Maximilian I, the Roman Emperor, started giving regular work to the artist. Later, Durer created three of his masterpieces, "Knight, Death, and the Devil (1513)," "Saint Jerome in his Study (1514)," and "Melencolia I (1514)." These three engravings portrayed 'Northern Renaissance' and showed the three activities of human life. "Knight, Death, and the Devil" emphasize the ethical, "Melencolia" depicts the logical, while "St.Jerome," the introspective part of life. His other masterpiece was "Durer's Rhinoceros (1515)," a magnificent woodcarving that attained tremendous fame all across Europe. The Emperor died in 1519. In 1520, Durer travelled to the various parts of The Netherlands to return to Nuremberg in July 1521, after being diagnosed for a hampering illness.

Due to his ill health, the artist emphasized more on religious elements in his paintings like the "Crucifixion of Christ." In 1525, a couple of his books, "The Four Books on Measurement" were published at Nuremberg. He died on April 6, 1528, at the age of 56. His famous workshop is now a museum. Albrecht Durer was a great artist of 'Northern Renaissance,' a fact manifested in his huge following. He was an all-encompassing genius in painting, wooden printmaking, and copper engraving. He has quoted, "If a man devotes himself to art, much evil is avoided that happens otherwise if one is idle."

Mexican Art - Oaxaca Woodcarving - Los Alebrijes by Jacobo Angeles

Jacobo أپngeles (born 1973), learned from his father the art of woodcarving at the young age of 12. Jacob acquired further knowledge from old masters of woodcarving from San Martin Tilcajete Zapotec villages. His wife, Marأ­a (b. 1977) also from an artistic family, is responsible for the detailed painting of the figures. Other family members support both of them during varied procedures, which are necessary to complete the uniqueness of the copal. The wood carving of أپngeles is a major component of many galleries and private collections. Some were already exhibited in museums in Tokyo, San Francisco and Chicago.

The wood carving goes back to pre-hispanic roots in the Oaxaca region. Jacobo and Maria want to preserve their art heritage of the great Zapotecs. In their Reportoire one finds mostly animal figures, which point mostly to Zapote calendrical and mythological significance. They include for example the Jaguar, the Iguana, a Rabbit, a Frog and a tortoise, but also animal figures which can be actualized according to customer demand. All figures distinguish themselves through unique attitudes and body language.

They are polished and refined with the finest painting of natural colors. Maria developed a unique style reflecting the Zapotec culture. The basis of her figures is the wood of the copal. Preferably the wood of the female trees, since the wood is well suited for figures made of one piece of wood. After beating the wood, it is relatively soft and can be formed relatively easily with non mechanical tools such as machetes and sichels. After several days a "rawfigure" emerges and now is inserted for several hours into a special tincture consisting of gasoline and insecticide, in order to make any "blind passengers", such as wood worms harmless. Thereafter follows a drying process in the Oaxaca sun for several months. This produces many fine cracks in the wood. With a paste made of fine sawdust they are carefully filled. Of course the flour has to be smoked first.

What follows are several weeks of painting of the figures. Original Colors are used from fruits, vegetables, tree bark and clay but also insects, such as the red pigment of blood Kaktuslaus (cochineal), all of which form the basis.

Jacobo holds in his hand some of the dried and powdered bark of the male copal. A dash of lime juice shows it is a soft brown. A true black is created by adding lime. Add a little baking powder and lime juice and the color changes to a bright yellow. Add more baking powder and there is a bright magenta.

A new base is created through crushed seeds of the pomegranate. And add a little lime it creates a green. Jacobo mixed the green with the Magena, and receives a deep blue. Add some zinc and it turns gray. Even more zinc and the gray turns white. The fermented and powdered corn fungus called huitlacoche, a delicacy in Mexico, has a beautiful ocher color and the dried and crushed cactus lice bring out various vibrant reds.

To prevent the fading of these bright colors, the natural colors are mixed with a tincture of Copalharz and honey. This gives the objects a gentle glow. Acquiring an object from the factory "Angeles", you are assured a top quality acquisition of great appreciation in value.