NOVICA, in association with National Geographic, searches the world to work directly with the finest artisan designers. Classic floral motifs lend a stately air to this octagonal wall mirror. Edged in gilt, its deep wine color is bordered with bands of diminutive blossoms. Edmundo Contreras applies the finely painted patterns to the reverse side of glass panes in a traditional Andean art form. Artisan Info: Born in Apurimac in 1965, Edmundo Contreras Aquise works in the andahuaylino (Andahuaylas) style. He uses painted glass and crackled finishes in a technique that is both traditional and modern. His motifs range from the pre-Hispanic, colonial and ethnic to the beauty and culture of the Andean world and its wildlife. "I inherited my interest in art from my mother, a weaver," he says. As an adolescent, I enjoyed painting and liked to create cartoons as a form of social protest (when terrorists threatened our land). In this way I represented those difficult moments when students and country people faced danger from two fronts. I learned a great deal from my companions in a craft workshop taught by Amilcar Andia, a gentleman from Andahuaylas. One of my friends was Juan Quintin, a painter, and another was Reinaldo Rivera, who had graduated from the School of Fine Arts. From them I learned a great deal, and through practice, I discovered more techniques. "My art strives to be a testimony to happenings and customs. Due to the danger of extinction of certain species, I represent them
