elena and florencio

happy monday!  i hope everyone is well rested and ready for the week ahead.

today, i am excited to post about my favorite peruvian couple: Elena and Florencio.  Elena is an embroidery artist (check out her skirt in the photo to the right) with an excellent sense of humor.  when i told her that if i wasn´t already married i might steal Florencio, she told me i could have him for $1 and when i hesitated, the price quickly dropped to pennies. :)

since coming back from peru i´ve been hot on embroidery and was particularly inspired by this one piece of Elena´s:

and then there is Florencio (with a dorky looking me and in a vest embroidered by Elena):

he is a sweet and gentle man with an amazingly calming effect on others. i could sit and talk to him for hours and hours.  plus, he is the master guard carver of peru, and there is no doubt that the details on his gourds far surpassed most of the other gourds i´ve seen for sale in peru and ecuador.

 

the gourd above is a small sample i purchased, partially because of the backstrap weaver that can be seen in the photo to the left.  florencio also makes beautiful colored gourds with animals and elena carves too, but she paints her carvings to resemble her colorful embroidery. 

florencio likes to draw in the style he carves, and here´s a little close-up of a drawing he did for me:

supposedly, the person sitting down and weaving (right side in the middle) is me.  hee hee.  one day, i hope to visit elena and florencio in their village.  they promised to cook me a big traditional meal.

Comments

[lisa s]

oh my! such amazing work!!! wow! thanks for sharing!

[jillypickle]

amazing artwork -- truly inspiring. oh, and i see the resemblence in florencio's drawing...

[julie]

Such beautiful work - the details are just amazing!!!

[greenbeanbaby art]

wow, that IS beautiful embroidery! that skirt is just dreamy! and the art- how so very intricate!!! and soooo much detail!!! wow, i love latin art- and its not cuz i am biased :D

[risa]

lisa - thank you for commenting!

jill - it looks just like me, right? :)

julie - i think so too.

ellia - and what´s amazing is how sophisticated the art has been for so many many years. it´s really awe-inspiring!

[shari]

hi risa!

they seem like such a special couple. the embroidery and the carvings are amazing. how lovely to have some of their work and to have yourself in the drawing. i love art that you have a connection with...so special. could you tell me a little more about the piece of elena's that you are so inspired by. i love it. xo shari

[gracia]

Hi there Risa,
Love it all! From that skirt in the first photo right down to the drawing featuring you weaving... wonderful people, fabulous clothes... as I said, love it all!
cheers, g

[Monica Andrade]

Hi risa!
I love Elena's embroidery! Those colors are so vibrant...so perfect! And Florencio's gourds are so beautiful, the detail in his carvings and drawings are amazing!

[lou.]

wow, those gourds are awesome.

[risa]

shari - i too love art i have a connection with-i love how it can bring you back to a special moment or remind you of a special person. ther embroidery i showed is a sample of a pattern elena has used in the past on bottom of skirts...actually, i saw one skirt she did that had a similar pattern on the whole thing! she has been embroidering for years and has amazing patience. truly inspiring.

grache - i´m glad you love it! i do too. :)

monica - hola! it´s been awhile. i´m glad you came by.

lou - thanks dude.

[natalie]

amazing artists!

I especially love the carvings and the blue & white embroidery

thanks for sharing

[Julia]

Oh my gosh, how special! That's gorgeous. How did you meet these people? Were they on the craft tour?

[dawbis]

i want to travel! your stories excite me :) i mean look at that piece of work! so amazing! next time i step out of this country i'm not taking anything for granted :)

[cruststation]

Hi, I just stumbled onto your blog it's beautiful. Thank you for sharing the amazing artwork by your friends.