Hand Painted Carved Cedar Wood Relief Panel, "Jesus and Joseph by the Window"

"I was born in the Chacas district of Asunción in Ancash on May 24, 1985," Wilfredo Ramírez recalls. "My mother and father supported us children unconditionally. She is a homemaker and he works in construction. Although I worked during the day, helping out with the animals and other jobs at home, I went to school in the evenings and was able to hold first place in the class for a long time.

"While I was still quite young, I realized that I loved to draw and never got tired of it. Later on, I'd shape little animals and other figures in clay. By the time I finished secondary school, I'd discovered wood carving, along with my brothers, Jhonson y Teodosio. We started to work together and have never separated. They moved to Lima before I did, and went to work with relatives, and I followed them when I was old enough to.

"From the time we were boys, we enjoyed working with our hands to create things, and we all find inspiration in religious themes. Nature is also a theme we enjoy. And, through our work, we like to share the diversity and beauty of nature here in Peru. We also share our own Christian faith through our art, as we are all devout Catholics, and would like you to feel the joy our our religion and the assuredness of God's presence everywhere. This is who we are; we are constantly aware of our faith in everything we do.

"Some people didn't seem to want us to get ahead in life, and this was a challenge we overcame with hard work and dedication. Our woodcarvings are unique and special, and we put all our effort and love into each one of them. We take special care with the fine details and give each piece a fine finish. When you choose our artwork, you are helping all those who work with us, either directly or indirectly."