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Article: Don't let sculpture bug you. (art lesson in which students study Oaxacan wood carvings and create their own depicting insects)
- Article from:
- School Arts
- Article date:
- April 1, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Davis Publications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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When researching Oaxacan woodcarvings I learned that this form of art has only recently become popular around the world, even though Oaxacans have been carving toys and masks for hundreds of years. The artisans use sections of wood from the Copalillo tree, then, with a machete and knives, reveal the shape of the animal or figure "inherent" in each piece of wood. The figures are then sanded and painted, sometimes by the artisans' own children and spouse.
Found Object Sculptures
Although our sample wood sculptures from Oaxaca were carved, various appendages had been nailed on. Rather than have the students carve each body part, I decided to use "found" ...