Market day in Chapinlandia: wall art; on sale textile art; mixed media; Guatemala; quilts; home decor; wall decor; cross stitch

"Market Day in Chapinlandia". Waiting out Hurricane season in the Rio Dulce, Guatemala, I thought I should pay homage to the rich tipica fabrics used and worn by indigenous Guatemalans on sale. This has the many layers representing the "delantal" or ubiquitous apron worn by ladies in the market backdropped by volcanic mountain ranges and steeply terraced agriculture. The background is a portion of the plastic fiber woven bags for sale in all the villages for carrying produce. I cross stitched the mythical animals 25 years ago as part of a sampler of figures found in women's blouses from the village I lived in at the time in the Guatemalan highlands while serving in the peace corps. The woven blouses tell a story themselves, always denoting the town the women are from and often marital status of the wearer. My cross stiched versions are a variation using my own color theme. Cotton weave, batik, cotton trimming, synthetic woven bag. 13.5 x 33 inches (34 x 89 cm) [mixed media; textile art; quilts; home decor; wall decor; wall art; art quilt]