colorful tapestry

Sunflowers and daisies bring to mind fertile Andean lands in a bright tapestry by Walter Paucar Velarde. He extracts color from natural dyes for the wool threads before looming the tapestry by hand. The tapestry's composition boasts admirable clarity as Paucar follows the weaving traditions of San Pedro de las Cajas.

Titled "Flores de mis ensueños" in Spanish.

Inspired by the techniques of ancient Andean weavers, Peruvian artisan Inka creates this masterpiece from yarns of alpaca, cotton and acrylic. A heart shape surrounds a bird in flight, symbolizing love for freedom and happiness. Woven in brilliant shades of yellow and red, the tapestry is a magnificent and colorful piece of artwork that is stretched on a wooden frame for easy hanging.

Titled El Vuelo del Amor in Spanish.

"This is the portrait of a palm wine seller returning from the farm with a clay pot filled with wine," explains K. Baka. "She is the only palm wine seller in her village, Agbozome." A perfectly detailed composition, Baka uses dyes and pigments extracted from plants to obtain the fascinating colors that enliven this composition.

An astral symbol, the chakana symbolizes order in family and community life; it is taken from a constellation of stars that forms a square. The name means 'ladder to the sky' and the sacred Andean symbol is a manifestation of the union of mankind with the cosmos. The four points represent the four dimensions necessary for life in a spiritual, social, political and economic community.

The geometric motif glows in the middle of this colorful handloomed tapestry. Working in an alpaca blend, master artisan David Laura Zanabria pays tribute to Andean traditions, selecting both the techniques and colors favored by ancient peoples there.

Titled "Chakana" in Quechua.

Bold and imposing, an African mask centers this colorful wall hanging. K. Baka works in batik on cotton to create the bright tapestry. On the mask's forehead is an adinkra symbol known as akoban — "war horn" in the Twi language. "Akoban is used to sound a battle cry. It is a symbol of vigilance and wariness," the artisan explains.