paintings

Upholding an artistic tradition of centuries, Asunta Pelaez in Peru creates this beautiful wall mirror. The technique involves carefully hand painting motifs on the backs of glass panes before they are set into a wood frame. The blue floral mirror makes a stunning addition to a hall or entryway.

Peru's Asunta Pelaez works in the time-honoured technique of reverse-painted glass to create this lovely decorative box. The wood box is set with panes of glass that have been painted on their reverse sides with elegant fish motifs in rich jewel tones. Silver-toned paint accents the edges of the multipurpose box.

Delicate, blossoming foliage twists and coils its way across the smooth, alluring surface of this Cajamarca-style tray by Asunta Pelaez. In a process demanding incredible patience and attention to detail, Pelaez first shapes the wood and cuts the glass to size. She traces the pattern in India ink and paints the detailed designs. Finally, she glues the glass to the wood and applies golden paint to the borders of the piece. The entire process can take seven days or more.

A box fit for all your treasures. Gelacio Giron decorates this jewelry box with intricate floral designs hand-painted over pieces of glass in deep blue and gold. He mounts the glass parts over gold-painted wood to shape the box, two functioning drawers, and a lidded secret compartment on top.

The Andean artisan fell into the art of reverse-glass painting through an uncle after losing his job as a government accountant. This technique was born in Europe during the Middle Ages and later on spread to Asia, Africa, and the Americas. It's come to hold a special place in Peruvian folk arts after being revived in the 1960s and has evolved to accommodate multiple regional styles.

Created for the World Peace Project, this beautiful tray, hand-painted by the artist Flora Polo in Peru, is a clear message of peace -- and a tribute to World Peace Day.

The artist's explains that her intention in painting the message on a tray is an allegory to creating peace as a daily ritual and shared consumption on the table. Human sharing, and the innate goodness that we carry in our DNA, are directly connected to all beings on this planet, she comments.

Via the traditional reverse-painted glass technique, the artist creates a charming wooden tray featuring doves surrounding the world and asking for peace. The hearts at each corner form the phrase "Love and peace in this world," in Spanish, and the centre reads "World Peace Day."