Wood carving crafts

The wood carving crafts we offer are outstanding for the traditional handcraft work on this noble material. The objects made in carved wood are beautiful, rustic artistic productions which give places the typical warmth there is in wood itself.

Wood carving crafts represent the dedicated work of the artisan who gives shape to wooden pieces evoking our traditional indigenous culture. This old art of producing crafts with wood and the techniques to work on this material have gradually developed for the better. It would be wrong to associate this art only to religious images, as artists working with wood have performed real abstract and realistic works of art with great ability.

They use many kinds of wood to make wood carving crafts in Argentina. Some examples are melina, laurel, caobilla, cativa, gravilla, surá, javilla, teca, etc. Wood carving constitutes part of a solid tradition in our country. The techniques of this beautiful art have been transmitted over the years through generations, and they still subsist. Their results are always esthetic within the framework of rustic handcrafts and they contribute to reinforce our national identity.

Among the Argentinian provinces which stand out for their wood carving crafts are Catamarca, Chaco and Salta. They are largely produced in the north of this last mentioned province where forests are abundant. People belonging to the Wichi community use trees like palo santo, guayacán, quebracho and mistol for carving handcrafts. The carved wood objects they make are varied in style and of excellent quality.

In Catamarca and Salta artisans work a lot with teasel wood. Its use is exclusivelly restricted to dead and fallen wood; it is very characteristic for its soft and porous texture. Crafts made in teasel wood are very appreciated. Among the many crafts with this material, they make downpours, boxes to keep wine bottles and photo phrames.

As part of Mecenas Arts and Crafts, we have toured these places choosing special wood carving crafts which are very representative of the autochthonous art in Argentina.