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©Artesanías de Colombia
©Artesanías de Colombia
©Artesanías de Colombia
©Artesanías de Colombia
©Artesanías de Colombia

Gilberto & Óscar Granja

Gilberto & Óscar Granja Woodworker
Contact
Spanish
Hours:
Monday to Friday 8:00 - 12:00/14:00 - 17:00, Saturday 9:00 - 13:00
Phone:
+57 3154241357
©Artesanías de Colombia

From father to son

  • • Óscar works to preserve his father's legacy
  • • This craft is inherited from native traditions
  • • Pasto Varnish of Nariño was listed by UNESCO in 2021

Everything that Óscar Granja knows about Pasto Varnish is thanks to his father, the master Gilberto Granja. The family workshop has been dedicated to this woodworking technique for more than six decades. The results of the technique could well be confused with a pattern made on a computer due to the incredible precision that their mastery of the craft achieves. After devoting 22 years to architecture and graphic communication, Óscar decided to return to work with his father. He started practising the Pasto Varnish again using just the basic colours in the background: white, mahogany and red. He learned to make figures, landscapes and everything that an artisan of such a meticulous technique must know how to do.

Read the full interview

Works

  • ©Artesanías de Colombia
  • ©Artesanías de Colombia
  • ©Artesanías de Colombia
  • ©Artesanías de Colombia
  • ©Artesanías de Colombia
Photo: ©Artesanías de Colombia
Plate

Ornamental plate made on the lathe by woodturner Efrén Taborda and decorated at the Granja workshop using Pasto Varnish. The decoration is based on the traditional floral design of the master Gilberto Granja, which consists of three principal flowers. These are distributed evenly on the surface of the plate with a foliage of leaves that unify the design. Granja has only used one tone, bronze, over a black background.

Height 3 cm
Diameter 30 cm

Photo: ©Artesanías de Colombia
Medium bowl

This ornamental bowl is made on lathe by woodturner Eider Higidio Castro and decorated at the Granja Barniz de Pasto workshop.The decoration is based on the traditional floral design of the master Gilberto Granja, which consists of three principal flowers. These are distributed evenly on the surface of the plate with a foliage of leaves that unify the design. Granja has only used one tone, gold over another gold tone.

Height 10.8 cm
Diameter 17 cm

Photo: ©Artesanías de Colombia
Napkin holder

This triangular napkin holder is made on the lathe by woodturner Eider Higidio Castro and decorated at the Granja Barniz de Pasto workshop. The decoration is based on the traditional floral design of the master Gilberto Granja, which consists of three principal flowers. These are distributed evenly on the surface of the plate with a foliage of leaves that unify the design. Granja has used bronze in a range of tones over a brown background.

Length 17.5 cm
Width 3.5 cm
Height 9 cm

Photo: ©Artesanías de Colombia
Plate

This ornamental plate is made on the lathe by woodturner Eider Higidio Castro and decorated at the Granja Barniz de Pasto workshop. The decoration is based on the traditional floral design of the master Gilberto Granja, which consists of three principal flowers. These are distributed evenly on the surface of the plate with a foliage of leaves that unify the design. Granja has used a green range of tones, over a black background.

Height 2.5 cm
Diameter 20 cm

Photo: ©Artesanías de Colombia
Medium jewellery egg

This utilitarian jewellery egg is made on the lathe by woodturner Efrén Taborda and decorated at the Granja Barniz de Pasto workshop. The decoration is based on the traditional floral design of the master Gilberto Granja, which consists of three principal flowers. These are distributed evenly on the surface of the plate with a foliage of leaves that unify the design. Granja has used a bronze tone over a white background.

Height 11.5 cm
Diameter 8 cm

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