Originally from San Antonio de Ibarra in the province of Imbabura, Ecuador, Juan Fernando belongs to a mestizo cultural community where artisans and artists have preserved and enriched their traditions through handmade crafts for generations. As an artisan, he specializes in carving cedar, walnut, yalte, and pine wood—a skill he has honed and complements with painting and sculpture. His work also includes a diverse range of natural and recycled materials, such as pigments, tagua seeds, and semi-precious stones. He is a recipient of the CIDAP Medal for Tradition and National Identity, awarded by the Inter-American Center for Craftsmanship and Popular Arts.

 

Juan’s artisanal sensitivity enables him to connect deeply with the forms and aromas of wood, allowing him to enter a state of harmony where creativity flows as a vibrant expression of life. He describes how, in those moments, his heart, soul, and hands become a unified tool, blending with the material to shape his most cherished dreams. "To be a woodcarver is much more than a profession; it is to enter into an eternal communion with our essence, spirituality, historical roots, and with Mother Earth, Pachamama, who sustains us."