El Barniz de Pasto is a highly specialized protected art form in Pasto, Colombia dating back hundreds of years. Artisans gather seeds from the mopa mopa tree and then pound, boil, color, and stretch the seeds until they become a thin paper-like substance, barniz. To help the barniz attach to the wood piece, the wood is dried and prepared with a specialized food safe lacquer. For very small strips of the barniz, the artisan holds down their arm to warm and separate the barniz to place each piece by hand with a specialized knife. Heat is applied to the final piece to secure all the barniz in place. This artistic process takes great expertise to complete. In Colombia, the Barniz de Pasto artisans are called Maestros, out of respect for their craft and high level of artistic skill.
The Mountain Design Mirror is made from certified Urupan wood. The barniz is then hand-applied in our custom mountain pattern by the Maestro. The color of the lacquer can be changed if preferred. The size and shape can also be customized.
