Fuji X-T1, Fujinon 35/f1.4R
35mm, f1.4, 1/125 sec @ 640 ISO
Showing posts with label craftsmen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label craftsmen. Show all posts
Thursday, November 27, 2014
2014, Day 331 - Artisan
I lament the lack of craftsmanship today. Artistry in everyday objects is hard to find or astronomically expensive. This beautiful woman has been making attractive functional umbrellas for decades and is a master of her craft. Hopefully she has and will train others to follow in her vocation so that the art won't be lost to future generations. We focus so much of efficiency and modernity that the things in our lives lack soul.
Fuji X-T1, Fujinon 35/f1.4R
35mm, f1.4, 1/125 sec @ 640 ISO
Fuji X-T1, Fujinon 35/f1.4R
35mm, f1.4, 1/125 sec @ 640 ISO
Friday, November 7, 2014
2014, Day 310 - Crafts and consumers
We helped stimulate Thailand's economy today. This morning we work up early, as per usual, and headed out for breakfast but not before making a stop for coffee. There was a restaurant we scoped out yesterday but, unfortunately, it wasn't opened early enough to accommodate our plans for the rest of the morning. Slightly disappointed we headed back to the local vegetarian place and has another great meal for less than a dollar per person.
Bellies full, we returned briefly to our hotel to finish getting ready in preparation for a day out with our driver. Josh, the name he gave us, was the taxi driver who took us from the airport to our hotel when we arrive. One the ride he seemed like a nice guy, he spoke English well, and had a sense of humor. So we had arranged for him to drive us around to explore and do a little shopping.
He started off on the right foot by showing up early and when we showed him the list of places we wanted to visit he nodded at each and off we went. First we went to Khamtieng Market, the city's plant market. It was amazing, lots of little shops with all manner of beautiful tropical plants, water lilies, and gardening supplies. The sheer variety and the riot of color was almost overwhelming. It made me wish I had a tropical garden to plant but we contented ourselves with admiring all the plants. Especially impressive were the orchids that came in all manner of shapes, sizes, and colors with prices as low as a dollar per plant.
Next we headed in search of a teak spirit house for Francene so Josh took us to a sprawling teak furniture place. I will admit that their offerings were impressive, especially some of the furniture, but they didn't have any large spirit houses and while their prices were fair for teak they were still extremely expensive.
Coming up short we decided to go to Francene's tried and true celadon place. They make all of their pottery on site and have an extensive variety of traditional and contemporary celadon available for purchase. What's more, they also ship, so that took a huge obstacle from our path. In the end we all made a purchase or two and we should be seeing them again in two to three months; given the exorbitant cost for air shipping we all felt that we could be patient.
At this point we had been such good consumers that we were getting hungry so Josh took us to his second choice place; the first was closed. We had a nice lunch and were soon off to see how they make umbrellas from bamboo and paper. The women working on cutting and shaping the bamboo were rather spectacular; they made it look so easy but it was clear that long experience with those razor sharp blades that our initial impression was completely erroneous.
Next we went to a shop that sold locally produced home decor. The majority of their large showroom was devoted to rugs. Originally the owner and his family came from Kashmir almost two decades ago to expand their business and found that they could make better rugs at a lower cost because of the availability of high quality and, relatively, inexpensive Thai silk. There is something extremely impressive about the was the light shimmers off of a silk rug and the temptation was too much for Melissa who had them unrolling rug upon rug. I will freely admit I looked at a few myself in the process.
By now it was getting rather late in the afternoon so we stopped to snack on fried pumpkin and decided to make one last stop of a shop renown for their silk. It was in an really pretty old teak house and while their offering were attractive there was none of the Thai style that you would expect.
At this point Josh had proved himself invaluable and extremely competent. He had drive us all over the city, found everything without difficulty, and told us silly jokes that made him laugh more than we did. But it good-natured demeanor won us over and we had a great time. So, before dropping us back at our hotel, we made plans to have him drive us around again on Sunday and paid him a very reasonable amount for all his time today.
Once we got ourselves refreshed we headed out to dinner. I suggested a restaurant I had eaten at the last time we were in Chiang Mai. It was on the other side of town so we caught a ride and ended up having a very nice meal. In fact we ate so much that none of us was all that thrilled to go out this evening so we headed back to the hotel to rest and relax.
Fuji X-T1, Fujinon 35/f1.4R
35mm, f1.4, 1/125 sec @ 1000 ISO
Bellies full, we returned briefly to our hotel to finish getting ready in preparation for a day out with our driver. Josh, the name he gave us, was the taxi driver who took us from the airport to our hotel when we arrive. One the ride he seemed like a nice guy, he spoke English well, and had a sense of humor. So we had arranged for him to drive us around to explore and do a little shopping.
He started off on the right foot by showing up early and when we showed him the list of places we wanted to visit he nodded at each and off we went. First we went to Khamtieng Market, the city's plant market. It was amazing, lots of little shops with all manner of beautiful tropical plants, water lilies, and gardening supplies. The sheer variety and the riot of color was almost overwhelming. It made me wish I had a tropical garden to plant but we contented ourselves with admiring all the plants. Especially impressive were the orchids that came in all manner of shapes, sizes, and colors with prices as low as a dollar per plant.
Next we headed in search of a teak spirit house for Francene so Josh took us to a sprawling teak furniture place. I will admit that their offerings were impressive, especially some of the furniture, but they didn't have any large spirit houses and while their prices were fair for teak they were still extremely expensive.
Coming up short we decided to go to Francene's tried and true celadon place. They make all of their pottery on site and have an extensive variety of traditional and contemporary celadon available for purchase. What's more, they also ship, so that took a huge obstacle from our path. In the end we all made a purchase or two and we should be seeing them again in two to three months; given the exorbitant cost for air shipping we all felt that we could be patient.
At this point we had been such good consumers that we were getting hungry so Josh took us to his second choice place; the first was closed. We had a nice lunch and were soon off to see how they make umbrellas from bamboo and paper. The women working on cutting and shaping the bamboo were rather spectacular; they made it look so easy but it was clear that long experience with those razor sharp blades that our initial impression was completely erroneous.
Next we went to a shop that sold locally produced home decor. The majority of their large showroom was devoted to rugs. Originally the owner and his family came from Kashmir almost two decades ago to expand their business and found that they could make better rugs at a lower cost because of the availability of high quality and, relatively, inexpensive Thai silk. There is something extremely impressive about the was the light shimmers off of a silk rug and the temptation was too much for Melissa who had them unrolling rug upon rug. I will freely admit I looked at a few myself in the process.
By now it was getting rather late in the afternoon so we stopped to snack on fried pumpkin and decided to make one last stop of a shop renown for their silk. It was in an really pretty old teak house and while their offering were attractive there was none of the Thai style that you would expect.
At this point Josh had proved himself invaluable and extremely competent. He had drive us all over the city, found everything without difficulty, and told us silly jokes that made him laugh more than we did. But it good-natured demeanor won us over and we had a great time. So, before dropping us back at our hotel, we made plans to have him drive us around again on Sunday and paid him a very reasonable amount for all his time today.
Once we got ourselves refreshed we headed out to dinner. I suggested a restaurant I had eaten at the last time we were in Chiang Mai. It was on the other side of town so we caught a ride and ended up having a very nice meal. In fact we ate so much that none of us was all that thrilled to go out this evening so we headed back to the hotel to rest and relax.
Fuji X-T1, Fujinon 35/f1.4R
35mm, f1.4, 1/125 sec @ 1000 ISO
Friday, February 6, 2009
Day Two in Bali - Craftsmen
Ari wasn't scheduled to pick us up until 11am so we had an easy-going morning. After breakfast I managed to get very slow access to the internet so I wrote a few emails and updated my blog for the first time since arriving in Bali.
As 11 approached Laura and I check out and were shortly met by Ari who took us toward Ubud. Along the way we stopped at a workshop where they produce batik which is really interesting since they use beeswax to paint on a design then dye the cloth, then apply more beeswax, then dye it again and they generally repeat the process at least once more before putting it in hot water to remove the wax and reveal the design. They also weave cloth by dying the thread in the desired pattern before weaving which produces a slightly irregular but singularly amazing piece of cloth.
We hopped back in the car and made our way to the workshop of local silver artisans. They're the premiere workshop in Bali and their only competition is a company owned by a Canadian businessman who charges a lot more but who doesn't pay his workers anymore so the feeling on the island is that he is not really giving from the community thus resentment is common. It is fascinating to watch the craftsmen work with silver wire and tiny beads to make stunning jewelry!
After visiting the silversmiths we went to see Balinese woodcarvers. They're masters of their trade and work with the wood instead of fighting it to determine their final product. Normally I think that painted wood is shameful in that it ruins the natural beauty of the medium and hides flaws but there were some painted pieces that looked almost lifelike.
From visiting the various craftsmen we went to Bali Buddha Restaurant in Ubud. It is the first organic establishment in the area and they work with local farmers to ensure the highest quality. I had a very good pumpkin-temphe burger and Laura had a green curry with various local vegetables. After a trip to the post office for stamps and the market for fruit we went to our new temporary home, the ARMA Resort.
The grounds are lush and filled with flowering tree and plants, orchids amongst them. Our room is really beautiful and they had a bowl of flowers on the desk with a note written on the petals of one welcoming us. The pool is right in front of our room and there is an outdoor dining area adjacent. Laura and I had a couple hours to relax before Ari was to pick us up again to take up to dinner and see another dance performance.
At 7pm Ari arrived to take us to Cafe Lotus which is, as the name suggests, right on a lotus pond. During dinner across the pond was a performance of traditional Balinese dance by the Cenik Wayah dance troupe. One of the aspects of Balinese dance I like most is the dancers' use of their eyes, it may be a little exaggerated but it is very communicative and I enjoy it a lot.
After finishing dinner Ari and I crossed to the other side of the pond to get a better view and take some pictures. I think that Laura preferred not to risk the dimly lit path leading between two large and deep pools of lotus to get a closer to the action so she stayed at our table while I contorted myself into sometimes uncomfortable positions to take my pictures.
Once the performance had concluded we headed back to our opulent room to enjoy a restful evening before getting up early for tomorrow's rice paddy walk.
As 11 approached Laura and I check out and were shortly met by Ari who took us toward Ubud. Along the way we stopped at a workshop where they produce batik which is really interesting since they use beeswax to paint on a design then dye the cloth, then apply more beeswax, then dye it again and they generally repeat the process at least once more before putting it in hot water to remove the wax and reveal the design. They also weave cloth by dying the thread in the desired pattern before weaving which produces a slightly irregular but singularly amazing piece of cloth.
We hopped back in the car and made our way to the workshop of local silver artisans. They're the premiere workshop in Bali and their only competition is a company owned by a Canadian businessman who charges a lot more but who doesn't pay his workers anymore so the feeling on the island is that he is not really giving from the community thus resentment is common. It is fascinating to watch the craftsmen work with silver wire and tiny beads to make stunning jewelry!
After visiting the silversmiths we went to see Balinese woodcarvers. They're masters of their trade and work with the wood instead of fighting it to determine their final product. Normally I think that painted wood is shameful in that it ruins the natural beauty of the medium and hides flaws but there were some painted pieces that looked almost lifelike.
From visiting the various craftsmen we went to Bali Buddha Restaurant in Ubud. It is the first organic establishment in the area and they work with local farmers to ensure the highest quality. I had a very good pumpkin-temphe burger and Laura had a green curry with various local vegetables. After a trip to the post office for stamps and the market for fruit we went to our new temporary home, the ARMA Resort.
The grounds are lush and filled with flowering tree and plants, orchids amongst them. Our room is really beautiful and they had a bowl of flowers on the desk with a note written on the petals of one welcoming us. The pool is right in front of our room and there is an outdoor dining area adjacent. Laura and I had a couple hours to relax before Ari was to pick us up again to take up to dinner and see another dance performance.
At 7pm Ari arrived to take us to Cafe Lotus which is, as the name suggests, right on a lotus pond. During dinner across the pond was a performance of traditional Balinese dance by the Cenik Wayah dance troupe. One of the aspects of Balinese dance I like most is the dancers' use of their eyes, it may be a little exaggerated but it is very communicative and I enjoy it a lot.
After finishing dinner Ari and I crossed to the other side of the pond to get a better view and take some pictures. I think that Laura preferred not to risk the dimly lit path leading between two large and deep pools of lotus to get a closer to the action so she stayed at our table while I contorted myself into sometimes uncomfortable positions to take my pictures.
Once the performance had concluded we headed back to our opulent room to enjoy a restful evening before getting up early for tomorrow's rice paddy walk.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)