In these first 2 months of living in Lagos, I have fallen in love with Nigerian String Art. I first admired it when a friend, Amy, brought a few pieces to Angola. String Art (also called Threadwork) is created by sketching a figure onto canvas. The canvas is glued mutliple times. Silk thread is handwoven on the glued surface to form the design. Vibrant colors are created from plants that are cooked for days over a hot fire. The colors produced are used to dye the silk thread which makes up the artwork.
Here are my two initial purchases complete with a zoomed in picture to show the detail.
leachafricanadventures 
Totally agree — they are amazing!! Thanks, Love, Mom
Oooh! I want one 🙂
I spent several months in Nigeria a few years back and purchased several pieces of string art. Sadly, most I gave away to friends or family, but I kept three pieces and they hold special places in my collection of world art. The piece I purchased on my first trip there is 1m x .5m and was done by Chief Layi. I bought it for $50US and similar pieces were selling for $500US when I returned on my second trip. My two other, smaller pieces, were reportedly done by his son. I got a “deal” on them… which I guess everything sold in Nigeria is, but they are two of my favorites to this day. It was nice to do an online search for String Art and find someone else who enjoys this style of art as much as I do. -Tim P. (Arlington, Virginia, USA)
I imagine you made your family happy by sharing your art with them! I paid $50 for each piece I purchased. Mine were made by a woman named Ebun. I don’t believe mine are of superior quality but I have formed a friendship with Ebun and like that I am supporting her along with her family. I have heard of an artist named Molade whose work is excellent in quality. I think work similar to his is what you have seen at that higher price. Thanks for the interest!