Craft Markets in the Sacred Valley

The craft markets were great fun in the Sacred Valley of Peru.  They were a bit chaotic and all the more fun for that.  What was really impressive was the variety and quality of the goods - particularly woven and knitted cloths and clothing.

The sketches are from Ollantaytambo (upper) with the Inca granaries up on the mountainside beyond and Pisac ( below), and here's the surprise - selection and especially prices were actually better in Cusco.

My Artist Pals in Cusco

Plaza de Armas in Cusco is a busy spot with many pedlars offering handcrafts, shoeshines, taxi rides and so forth.  There are also many individuals selling art.  Generally there is a wide range of styles in each portfolio and a similar range of subjects and styles from one to another, leading me to suspect that the work, or at least not all of the work, is by the vendor.

While sketching in a quiet corner of the square, one of these art guys came over to watch.  He showed me a small sketch from his portfolio and I offered him a brush and my paints.  He skilfully added some wash in a true Urban Sketchers fashion.  Soon his competitors had also gathered around and there was lots of good natured joking and some questions to me despite my inadequate Spanish.

It was another one of those circumstances that broke down the tourist barrier and seemed a natural opportunity for a sketchcrawl type photo of all of us with our work.

Meeting People by Sketching

Some of the best moments on this trip to Peru were meeting local people as a result of sketching in public.  I've heard this form other sketchers - taking photos of people is something that is often resented and people can even get upset about it.  However, people seem to be interested and even complimented if you draw them.

Here at home, I rarely seem to be noticed drawing on location, much less strike up a conversation, however in Peru, people often came up to look over my shoulder and called others over.  In Cusco's San Pedro Market, a pair of small boys were quite uninhibited in learning over my sketchbook as I worked and the ladies in the smoothie aisle were all curious to see the finished product.

It somehow broke through the tourist barrier so that rather than being a foreign voyeur I was treated as a curious visitor.