These stone sculptured figurines & animals are made in Zimbabwe, a country in the southern region of the African continent just north of South Africa.

Stone carving has been a part of the Zimbabwean culture since 1200 AD when Great Zimbabwe, an archeological masterpiece of their early ancestors, was built.

These sculptures are produced from a variety of stones. Serpentine stone, with its considerable range of colors and hardness, is the material most commonly used by artisans. Most serpentine stone used was formed over 2.6 billion years ago. Serpentine stone exists in a diversity of colors including black (the hardest and least common), browns, mauves, greens, and yellows.

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Collection Available Online June 30th

The batiks, bedding, pillow covers and place-mats are hand-crafted in Zimbabwe, a country in the southern region of the African continent just north of South Africa.

To transform the cotton canvas into a work of art, a sketch of the image to be created is drawn onto the canvas in pencil or sudza (a hot porridge like starch made from corn meal and used as a substitute for wax). The artisan then visualizes the mood, feelings and colors they what to present as they plan where each color will be applied.

The first color to be applied to the canvas is selected and the areas not to be dyed/painted are covered with sudza. The canvas is then soaked in the color dye bath or painted. When the color has been sufficiently absorbed, the canvas is removed and laid out to dry before scrapping off the layer of sudza. The artisan repeats this process progressing from the lightest color dye or paint to the darkest. When all of the dyeing is complete, the piece is washed, dried and ironed.

The final breath of life is infused into the canvas with hand painted accents added to the images and patterns to bring spirit to this soft textured medium of contemporary African art. These pieces can often be found hung from a wall to add texture and soften a room.