Wool tapestry, "Women Farmers at Lake Titicaca"

Born in the Puervian highlands, Francisco Huaynate has always been exposed to the richness of textile arts. This village is known for the vividness of its tapestries, where scenes from highland Peru reveal themselves with subtlety and warmth. Together with his wife Alejandra, Francisco has opened a small workshop where, with the help of their children, they produce stellar examples of the imaginative yet traditional art of the region.

"I've been dedicated to textile arts since my adolescence, although before I made this decision I was surrounded by tapestries as a native of the Peruvian highlands. My textile art recreates motifs from my own perspective and in them I express the culture of my country and village, reflecting the everyday customs and situations that reflect our feelings and beliefs. With my family, we constitute a workshop where my wife Alejandra helps with the designs and finishing touches; our children also help us. In our work we employ sheep's wool, cotton, synthetic threads and various dyes. As tools we use the loom, machine of artisanal weaving, teasel and shuttle. Before we begin weaving we make the design on paper.

"We are proud to be from Peru and to develop our art with modesty - to deliver to the public the result of a job done with love and dedication. We also do made-to-order pieces according to the design they give us. In each work I apply at least fifteen colors. With my wife we proposed a challenge to ourselves: to open up a path in textile art so as to have a business with our own designs. And after years we can say we've achieved this. We are jealous of our work, but when we see that somebody really wishes to learn we teach them."