Expert in the Peruvian art of reverse painted glass, Asunta Pelaez creates a wall mirror of antiqued elegance. She hand-paints the mirror frame with floral motifs, creating a weathered illusion accentuated by aged golden and black hues.
Product Features: - Dimension: 9.75" H x 7.75" W x 0.6" D
- Weight: 0.69
- Color: Black
- Material: Glass MDF
- Black
- Hand-crafted item -- color, size and/or motif may vary slightly
- Made In Peru
Story Behind the art: My passion for art comes from the depths of my heart. It's in my DNA. From childhood, I attended all the drawing and painting classes at school. I spent many hours there and I learned well. My time was spent in school, in art workshops and at home. A short time later, disaster stuck. I lost my parents when I was still a girl and it was devastating to me. We five children stayed with our aunt and uncle, and other close relatives helped look after us. We eventually moved to Lima where we tried to go on with our lives. Our goal was to become the best we could be and overcome life's obstacles in memory of our parents. In Lima, I began studying accounting while visiting workshops and helping my aunt and uncle. At school there, I met the man who would become my husband, my best friend and life teacher. He courted me through his art. He taught me what he knew about reverse painted glass and suggested I collaborate in his workshop.I strive to do even better by studying every detail and to become a master artisan so I can be the best I can be, together with my family. I originally began to learn thanks to the influence of my husband's family. But over time, we've unified our abilities and work. Little by little, I learned to design and paint. It's so satisfying to be able to dedicate myself fulltime to what I enjoy most. I follow a meticulous process, carefully shaping the wood to give it a pleasing form. This whole process demands incredible patience and attention to detail. The motifs are painted by hand on the reverse side of glass panes, which are inlaid onto the mirror frames, trays and decorative boxes. My designs are inspired by nature, and by typical scenes from my town and region. Novica has brought about a great change in my life, economically, of course, and personally as well, because I really value their recognition of my work. However, thanks to Novica, today I can offer employment to others, including women who otherwise have few sources of income. In recent years, I've had some problems with my health while our expenses increased and, for a moment, I felt the situation was getting the best of me. Sales were affected and I had to make a drastic decision. I decided to shut down my workshop. This was so hard for me. But shortly after resolving our problems, I listened to my family who urged me to return to my workshop. 'It's what you enjoy most,' they said. 'Don't abandon this dream.' So I got my courage together and opened it again. I looked for the people who had collaborated with me and we made a new beginning together. Little by little, things got more normal and we continue working with the people from Novica, who have always been there for me, standing with me and valuing my designs from the very beginning. I hope to continue offering them the best of me — not only today but always. A dream is a wish your heart makes. It doesn't come true through magic. It requires determination and hard work. I'm proud of my designs and want to share them with even more people. With Novica, I'm sure I will. Asunta Pelaez' work has been featured in Faith and Family magazine.
The handmade touch of artisan skill creates variations in color, size and design. If buying two of the same item, slight differences should be expected. Note: Color discrepancies may occur between this product and your computer screen.Imported
