Luis Pablo: Northwest Coast Art Turtle OaxacaThis striking sea turtle by Luis Pablo feels like a little piece of Northwest Coast mythology come to life. The smooth, stylized body becomes a moving canvas of bold black, white, red, and green, echoing the graphic power of Indigenous Pacific Northwest design. On the shell, a dramatic masklike face with wide eyes, a playful tongue, and radiating motifs gives the turtle a strong ceremonial presence. Each flipper is painted with crisp geometric forms

Signed by Martin Cota

and intricate Zapotec designs on the rounded belly

caught in that alert

almost like freckles

like a bird fully at ease in its own feathers

The embroidery is handmade in Tenango

and cream tones that enhance rather than overshadow the pendant's detailed artwork

Kengi carved this tall owl and its mask that fits perfectly over the owl's face

naturalistic tones

transformation figures

Its soft pink body is decorated with sprinkles of black brushstrokes

all together