Product Description
Take your Day of the Dead decorations to the next level with a fabulous retablo figure! Whether you want to up your own DoD game, or know someone who needs that little extra pop of Dead, these figures are spectacular. Each one is hand sculpted and painted by Claudio Jimenez Quispe, using a technique he has perfected over the years.
Claudio starts with a vision of who this figure will represent. His sculptures can represent anything from musicians to specific vocations, and he even makes a bride and groom! Once he has his vision, he bends a simple wire into the basic frame of the figure he's about to make. He then makes a paste, combining high starch small potatoes with plaster. Using nothing but his hands, he starts to form the paste around the wire. He adds clothing by first rolling out a little sheet of plaster with a jar or pen, then cutting this "fabric" to size and applying it to the figure before it dries. He uses a slender stick with a point and a paring knife to get the exquisite detail just right. Since this kind of potato plaster dries quickly, he must work fast. He will pick each figure up multiple times over a period of several days to apply more plaster, sculpt the detail, and then set aside to dry. When the final touches are complete, he leaves them to dry for several weeks. The combination of the potato and plaster turns hard and stable without the need for heat firing. Once the figures are completely dry, a lacquer is applied to create a sealed surface to paint. Claudio then picks up his paint brush and hand paints every tiny little detail, one stroke at a time. Once the painting is complete, and the paint dry, the figure then receives several final coats of lacquer to ensure the colors are sealed. Delightfully, every piece is unique and expresses an art medium that is truly fantastic.
- Made by hand in Peru
- Retablo figure
- Measures approximately 2-1/2" tall
- Due to the handmade nature of this figure, imperfections in sculpting and painting may be present and simply add to the individuality of each piece