Showing posts with label alpaca sweaters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label alpaca sweaters. Show all posts

Friday, July 25, 2014

Gone to Market








If you have followed me for any length of time, you know that I love
markets.  Anytime I get the chance to go to one, I do.  We had the
chance the second day we were in Quito.  We drove outside of town to the
town of Otovalo, the location of a large outdoor marketplace.  There
were lots of textiles: blankets, rugs, clothing, scarves, etc.  There was also
a lot of fruit.  It is always very colorful...fun to draw or paint.  And
then there were Panama hats...nice straw ones that usually end up as
souveniers in boxes in the upper storage of the plane.  And then
there were also some colorful characters...the interesting man with the
dreadlocks playing the instrument and the pan flute; and the
weathered old woman who had just gotten out of a taxicab...
nice contrast.

This is the page in my sketchbook that I painted while I was there in the
market.  I found a bench, even though it was in the sun, where I
could view the market and do a quick little painting.  The paint dried
instantly...no waiting for it to dry!  I love painting on location,
and this time was no different.

I will be making digital copies of the sketchbook again this year,
for sale.  If you think you might be interested, just let me know.
They will be $100, and will contain all of my paintings as well as
some of my photography.


sheltongail@hotmail.com

Monday, April 30, 2012

Shop till you Drop

straw baskets

straw purses

cute little gourd birds

gilded mirrors

paintings

Alpaca scarves

Alpaca sweater
Who doesn't love to shop?  We all had the chance
to do some while in Peru.  Here is just a small sample
of some of the beautiful goods that were available.

The most sought after items were the alpaca sweaters
and scarves.  We went to a shop where they taught us
how to tell the difference between real alpaca and 
fake items.  The best quality alpaca is referred to as
"baby alpaca".  The animals are around 2 years old
when they are sheared for the first time, and that wool
is called "baby alpaca", and it is very fine and soft.
Every shearing after that is simply "alpaca".  And it
is all fairly expensive, and all extremely beautiful.