piece of art

Choose these dangles earrings to wear a dramatic piece of abstract art. Manuel Fredebrecht crafts the pair by hand with a square of sterling silver framing an onyx orb.

"The spiral symbolizes the passing of time, or the duration of natural life," says Marco Florindez as he explains his work. "Life never stops developing through time and space. I was inspired by a symbol on a textile piece from the Chavin culture. It was the abstraction of a serpent coiled into a spiral with a central point of origin and infinite continuity." Florindez starts sculpting the piece with a steel base adding cotton textures in black featuring a soft burgundy light.

Since the piece hangs from the steel frame, it can be placed in any direction, as desired.

Titled "Evolution" in Spanish.

A glossy bowl of mango wood showcases Nantana Sompamitre's art. This exquisite bowl is lacquered inside and out, the outer surface is richly adorned in gold. She lathes the mango wood into the desired shape and coats it with lacquer. When dry, it is polished, and another coat is applied – up to twenty times – before as many six coats of pure lacquer are applied. The final layer is polished with powdered fired clay. The piece is gilded with a technique called lai rot nam, and it is dusted with a wooden powder. Then the background is covered with a gummy paint, and dusted again. A thin coat of lacquer is applied to the entire surface and, before it dries, gold leaves are placed over it and firmly pressed into place.

Artisan Eu Chonay credits her mother for who she is today, teaching her everything about traditional weaving. When Chonay moved to the city of Antigua, she decided to take what she learned and start a small business. Today, she designs textiles and works with other artisans to create beautiful pieces such as black cotton throw pillow cover with a zig zag pattern in ivory. The reverse side is solid ivory with a slit opening.