María Jiménez Ojeda
Artist
María Jiménez Ojeda
San Martín Tilcajete
María’s style is uniquely naïve, incorporating butterflies, flowers, and doves to embroider her animal figures, primarily rabbits.
She was born on February 2, 1962, in San Martín Tilcajete, Ocotlán de Morelos, Oaxaca, and has been dedicated to her craft since the age of twenty-eight, creating a wide variety of figures.
In the woodcarving workshop she shares with her brothers—Cándido, Alberto, and Aarón—María paints the pieces they carve. Her subjects include rabbits, pigs, toucans, gazelles, dogs, angels, and virgins. With each brushstroke, delicate floral and butterfly motifs emerge, making her figures more colorful and striking, highly sought after by collectors.
At twenty-eight, she fully embraced her identity as a creator. She considers herself an artisan, as her craft is a daily practice that she balances with farm work. Her close connection to nature allows her to observe the vibrant colors that inspire her pieces. This artistic vision has earned her several accolades, including First Place in the State Nativity Scene Contest in 2007 in Oaxaca and Second Place in the State Popular Art Contest in 1996.
Her works have been exhibited at the Chicago Museum, the Ellipse Arts Center, and the State Museum of Popular Art of Oaxaca in San Bartolo Coyotepec.
EXHIBITIONS:
- Chicago Museum
- The Ellipse Arts Center
- State Museum of Popular Art of Oaxaca, San Bartolo Coyotepec
RECOGNITIONS AND AWARDS:
- 1996 Second Grand Prize of the State Museum of Popular Art
- 2007: First Place, State Nativity Scene Contest, Oaxaca