3D Apillera Art From Peru

Here is a modern folk art tradition from Peru - I love these - it is know as 3D Apillera Art (pronounced ar - pee - era) and takes the form of a quilted story telling collage. Certain elements of the picture, such as animals and houses, are stuffed with a technique known as 'trapunto'. Fine details are added using embroiderey.

I discovered this unusual art on the following website - www.lucuma.com. Lucuma Designs is a member of the Fair Trade Federation, a non-profit organization, committed to help artisans and producers around the world improve their standard of living. The following information on 3D Apillera Art comes from their website.

"The Lucuma Designs team has been nurturing a select group of 25 arpillera artists since 1998. Providing them with new ideas, we encourage them to expand their creativity. They have now raised the quality of work to new standards for a growing market of world collectors."

"The Arpillera folk art tradition began in the early 1970’s, when social upheaval in Peru pushed entire Andean communities to migrate to the city. People abandoned their land, home, crops, and animals for settlements in the outskirts of Lima. In search of safety and economic stability, they found something far from that, and families were forced to start from scratch. Thanks to their skilled hands, a sense of tradition and creativity, many women from these new communities learned a new skill with the help of German missionaries. Working from home, they could now use this marketable craft to generate income for their families while tending their children. Today, the tradition is more alive than ever. The second-generation have elevated this arpillera tradition into an art form."

We have been talking to Lucuma Designs about stocking a few pieces for Karuna Village. But, if you are taken with these unusual works of art and would like to see the full Lucuma Designs collection, please visit their website at wwww.lucuma.com where you can order online.

Nicaraguan Artist Lius Varela

Some progress this week from Nicaragua with an email from Carmen Garcia to say that she has found a printer locally who can produce the Giclee prints. This is good news as we at Karuna Village always prefer to support the local economy of the artists from whom we purchase our art.

A further piece of good news came in the form of an email from artist Luis Varela from Nicaragua who is also interested in offering some of his superb paintings as limited edition prints. The painting above is called "Beautiful View" and is one my particular favorites. The quality of art from Nicaragua is exceptional and I am sure there will be great demand for these prints when they are released. Don't worry - we'll be sure to let you know as soon as they are ready!

Negotiating a Deal with Nicaraguan Artists

With greatful thanks to Dolly at the Nicaraguan Cultural Alliance (NCA), we have been contacted by 3 artists from Nicaragua interested in exhibiting their art on the Karuna Village website. I had seen some truly outstanding paintings on the NCA website and approached Dolly with the idea of seeking to do a limited edition print series of selected artists works.

Subsequently I have received an email from Carmen Garcia, a Nicaraguan artist of 25 years standing who works in the primitivism style, (an example of her work is shown above), who, along with two of her colleagues, Santos Medina and Luis Verela, are very interested in the idea. The sizes they are working on are 120cm x 80 and 60 x 50 cm, and mainly oil or acrylic on canvas.

Currently, Carmen is looking for a printer locally who can undertake Giclee printing. The idea is to create a limited edition print run of selected paintings, with between 100 - 250 prints, each signed and numbered by the artist, and selling for around $250 per print. These are stunning works of art and certainly deserve a wider audience. I think there will be a lot of interest once these prints become available. Watch this space, as they say!