Luis Pablo is celebrated as one of Oaxaca's finest woodcarving masters, a talented artist who personally crafts every piece, and whose sculptures radiate the confidence of a true artist.
His second gargoyle is truly stunning. A gargoyle, rooted in medieval European tradition, is a fierce, hybrid creature carved from stone and perched high on cathedral walls, believed to ward off evil spirits and safeguard the faithful below.
Luis Pablo has reimagined this iconic form entirely in copal wood and paint, blending the powerful body of a prowling jaguar with striking bat wings, two sharp horns pointing upward, and a long, whipping tail.
The body is painted in a deep black with Luis Pablo's signature textured technique, creating a surface that both absorbs and reflects light beautifully. Over this base, he has painted a field of concentric oval rings in charcoal and slate, covering every inch of the sculpture. The chest and shoulders burst with vibrant turquoise, cobalt, teal, and gold in a bold, geometric design.
The jaguar face features its own colorful world, with a spotted muzzle, a snout banded in red, orange, and yellow, and cheeks filled with terracotta geometric patterns. The two horns rise straight and sharp from the crown, wrapped in crisp black-and-white stripes. The wings are where Luis Pablo truly showcased his creativity. The outer face glows in deep amber gold, adorned with bold concentric orange rings outlined in black, resembling a field of fiery, watchful eyes. Flipping the sculpture around reveals a whole different scene: the inner face showcases orange and yellow medallions on a deep red background, teal panels in the top corners, and scattered blue dots throughout the composition. The wing spars are painted in teal and rust, and where the wings connect to the body, the pattern shifts again to small circular motifs that echo the body's surface. These four unique painted worlds are on just two wings; they can be easily detached and perfectly rejoined.
