ARTISAN,WALTER INTERVIEW, BY DIEGO LINARES

Name: Walter Bautista Huaman
Age: 30 years
Place of birth: Aqoylla town, province of Socos, Ayacucho, Peru.
Art: textiles
Materials: sheep wool, cotton and alpaca wool.
Pigments: artificial (minerals) and natural (cochineal for red tonalities, molle for green tonalities, tara for blue tonalities and Nogal for brown tonalities)

I started working at 13 years old, working with my three older brothers in a workshop. At 14 I moved to Lima, my parents sent me with my brothers to escape for terrorism. They lived in San Juan de Miraflores, working in different things, in whatever they could. When I was 17 my brothers and I opened a workshop, and we worked there until I was 23. Moving to Canto Grande, I opened my own workshop and was able to give jobs to other relatives. But the place was too small. So after one year, I found a bigger place in Quebrada Verde, so moved there until now. Now I work with seven people, and have ten looms. My market is only a local one.

This is his first experience working for foreign markets. And he told me that 'is like a dream, something that he was waiting for a lot of time'. He has a lot of faith, he has always had it, and that is why he continues doing this work and will never leave, no matter the difficulties. He wishes that this is only the beginning of something more. This commission will help him to pay better salaries to his workers, and it is also a motivation for each of the weavers, including him, to continue working. Also is a way to grow, and to help other artisan in his town, Aqoylla, where he born, because if he has a lot of work, he need more workers. He also wants to help one of his brothers who has a workshop. He is very grateful for all of this.
For him it was easy to learn this work because he was a child, it was like playing. For adults it is more difficult because they have to think about their families and about how to maintain them...