Handmade Leather Silver Designer Ring 'Armor Shell' Item ID: 2677117746

"When I was very young, my family saw my natural instinct for drawing, so they found an art teacher for me. Thus I followed this path, and I found it more and more beautiful," Tomatis says. "When I was a little girl, I loved to hear stories. But I always asked that they be in color. When they had a sad ending, I'd insist it be changed to a happy one. That was many years ago. But when I hear a sad tale, I still want to change it to have a happy ending.

"I'm a painter but as a girl I learned all about leather, as my father worked with tanners. My brother Rodolfo Tomatis is also a featured artisan with leather handbags. I design and work with leather, and I also craft jewelry. With both, I select the very best materials. I love to mix natural elements with silver. Sometimes I give it a rustic finish; other times I like a shiny surface.

"I feel a need to express something, and this is what motivates me to paint. My canvases and monotypes show scenes of light – clean and floating like a dance of life. I'd love to be able to reach you with my work – feel that somehow my message reaches you – and share it with everyone."

Tomatis has shown her work widely thoughout Peru, the United States, Germany and Italy, and her works appear in many collections worldwide.