Architectural Grid Bowl

The Story

Hand-carved from dense, richly grained cocobolo rosewood, these animal sculptures are a signature art form of Wounaan men in eastern Panama. Each piece begins with rough shaping by hatchet, then refined through hours of hand-sanding and polishing to bring out the natural beauty of the wood. The final form—whether jaguar, toucan, or turtle—is shaped entirely by one artisan, making every carving one of a kind.

Carving is both tradition and livelihood. Skills are passed down through families, and nothing is wasted: even the shavings are repurposed to dye basket fibers a deep brown or near black. These carvings reflect a balance of form and material—an art rooted in the forest, shaped by memory, and meant to be held.

Color is drawn entirely from nature: seeds, roots, berries, bark, and leaves provide a palette that ranges from subtle earth tones to vibrant reds, greens, and black. The result is a woven form of storytelling—art that carries cultural knowledge, natural beauty, and generations of technique.