earthy decor

Intricate flowers bloom in dazzling array, their pristine symmetry arranged in a formal garden. Creamy petals align on bands of blue, purple and brown. Crafted with the ancient technique known as yok dok, such weavings once featured glittery details with threads made of finely beaten silver or gold. Keawpankanlaya transforms a traditional textile into a beautiful wall hanging bordered in black. It hangs from a rain tree wood display rod.

A musician in traditional Ghanaian dress plays a kora (a harp-like guitar) in this beautiful work of threadwork art from Ernestina Oppong Asante. The artisan places the cotton threads one by one to create the colorful and appealing composition.

Abstract shapes and patterns form the fascinating design on Edward Lamptey's vivid wall hanging. The Ghanaian artisan starts by sketching his idea in pencil and hot wax on 100% cotton, using a batik dyeing method to color the hanging in hues of green, yellow, and white.

Stir envy among friends and family with Elis Mufarroha's artfully crafted macrame wall hanging. The Balinese artisan hand weaves cotton cords in intricate patterns, leaving plenty of dangling fringe to create a bohemian look. Equipped with an albesia wood stretcher, the hanging is ready to install.

An African elephant walks proudly past quiet village homes in a glowing landscape. Working in batik, K. Baka depicts the regal beast in a beautiful wall hanging. In Ghana, a saying acknowledges the creature's strength: "When two elephants fight, it's the earth that suffers."

A typical West African village is depicted in this wall hanging, with palm trees and huts in the background and a woman cooking over a fire in the foreground. Ghanaian artist K. Baka hand-paints the earth-toned wall hanging in acrylic paints on cotton fabric.

"Nature shows a marvelous range of joyous colors in a world filled with flowers. In this design I really enjoyed thinking of the fresh breeze and the blossoms' perfume," María Uyauri confides. An expression of peace on earth, this wall hanging depicts a man who feeds a duck and girls picking flowers.

Uyauri creates this beautiful wall hanging in intricate arpillera – embroidered appliqués of fabric cutouts hand-stitched to a background of cotton. Crafted in three dimensions, each figure is lavishly embroidered. A display rod can slip through an opening at the top.

The Akan civilization believed that each child came from God, and so each baby was born with a special blessing. This traditional belief initiated the Ghanaian day naming system, which gives a unique name to a child born on a particular day of the week, signaling their spiritual traits. Motivated by this custom, artist Emmanuel Atiemoh Yeboah puts his talent into practice and creates this cotton batik wall art, whose stars, moon details and classic motifs in pink, red and black hues represent the souls born on Thursday, the day of those who connect with Earth.

A multicolor palette of vibrant tones embellishes Peruvian master artist Teofilo Choquecahua's newest tapestry, created for the World Peace Project.

"This tapestry is a message of world peace from my Andean worldview," explains the artisan. "On a daily basis, man has experiences without empathy with his neighbor, because of the lack of honesty between each one of the individuals. It is for this reason that my tapestry is designed to reflect that if we cultivate honesty, we will all be loyal and without any violence. Like the doves that travel the face of the earth in peace, where there is understanding and trust in each other, there is no indifference or guilt for not being fair."

This handloomed tapestry is crafted with an alpaca, cotton, wool and polyester blend. Drawing inspiration from doves, and determined to spread a message of peace and honesty, Teofilo designed an intricate pattern of traditional regional motifs.