Yarn paintings are rendered on boards of plywood covered with an even layer of beeswax, which is then entirely covered with thin threads of wool yarn pressed into a previous design that was etched into the wax. Normally the colors of the frame are rendered first, and then the main figures are depicted. The final work consists of filling in the background with other colors of yarn one or two strands at a time. This art form has its origins in the nierika, a votive offering deposited in sacred locations. The yarn-paintings featured on this page were created by world renowned masters of this medium and were all created in the 1970's and 1980's using pure beeswax and wool yarn on a plywood base.
