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Published: June 28th 2014
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Electrician's Nightmare
I found these collections of wiring fascinating. Thanka Painting (cont.)
By the fourth day I could find my way to and from the shop on my own, without asking for directions three times. I love Durbar Square with all the temples and people. On the way to and from I enjoyed looking at all the shops and especially the ladies in their saris and suwal kurtas (tunic with pants and shawl); the fabrics are carefully chosen and match perfectly. The women are like bright jewels.
I painted contentedly all day, from eleven till six, or sometimes a little later. The shop was two small rooms side by side, with fold away doors that opened one whole side to the street. My right arm and hand became much darker than my left from the sun. When it rained Bibek Lama and his wife would hurry around gathering up the thankas that hung outside. They were always encouraging tourists to stop and look. They would explain their significance and history. Sometimes they made a sale.
A wall separated us so I would have to get up and find Bibek when I needed help. He would come over and sit down and work magic with my mistakes. His was a very
More wiring
I thought these would look interesting in black and white. Very artistic. different technique than my usual splash and dash style painting. Learning to work slowly and painstakingly was a challenge. I was on display while I worked on my thanka and people from the neighborhood regularly stopped and talked to me and checked out my progress. Tourists would often take my picture.
I enjoyed watching life go by while I sat there painting. I especially enjoyed the school children, who often wanted to practice their English with me. One day there was a lot of singing and bell ringing and a small procession went past. All the men wore a Dhaka topi, a printed cloth hat, and several men carried a sedan chair with the honored person sitting inside. This was to celebrate an 84th birthday. It was a special occasion.
As my days at the shop drew to a close I had Bibek Lama show me how to outline the elements of the thanka. The only thing I didn’t see was how he applied the gold paint. Most thankas have real gold accents. This makes the thanka more expensive. I will have to do this myself, since it is one of the last steps.
I bought two thankas before I
Local produce
Passed by these little markets every day on the way to my class. left Thamel so I didn’t intend to buy any more. How many does a person who is not a Buddhist need? But in the end I bought two more small ones as gifts for friends. I had trouble picking them out because I had learned more about technique and I could clearly see the imperfections in these, the least expensive thankas in the shop.
Every day the Lama’s wife brought me a small thermos of unsweetened black tea. They have a four month old baby boy and a little girl of five or six so she was seldom in the shop, but when she could get away she enjoyed admonishing me and wanted to take over my brush and do it for me. She also enjoyed explaining things about their clan and their life in Paten.
The last day my flight left at 4 p.m. so I planned to take a taxi to the airport at 2. I went to the shop about noon to get my painting. The Lama and his wife insisted I drink several cups of tea. Then I had to inspect the thankas and pick the two I would purchase. Bibek picked another for me to
Temples in Durbar Square
This area is always busy with tourists and locals. keep and signed it with his name and his wife’s. He set up my painting for the last time, and took a picture of me posing with it. Then he presented me with the yellow silk scarf for safe travel. I felt quite honored. All this took time, and I had only seven minutes to get back to my guesthouse to catch the taxi to the airport.
I look forward to finishing the thanka when I get back home.
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