Red Buddha Folk Art - Traditional Crafts for Contemporary Living

About The Producers



Carpentry: The Newars are good carpenters who make excellent use of simple tools. Other than circle saws, drills and planers they still make many of their own tools. Red Buddha Folk Art is currently developing designs for plywood furniture pieces to reduce demand for hard woods and expense for kiln drying to eliminate warping.		Woodcarving: Among the Newars, the Shilpakars are famous for woodcarving. In ancient times they were temple builders and master architects whose skills were in high demand as far as Tibet and China. Today they continue produce exquisite hand carved windows, pillars and Buddhist deities. Red Buddha Folk Art is currently adapting wood carving motifs for contemporary furniture and will develop proto-types for Hindu and Christian wood carvings.



Painting: Not only Newars but Lamas, Tamangs and other minority Mongol groups are also well known for a very delicate style of Thangka (scroll painting) that depict the Buddhist pantheon of deities. Red Buddha Folk Art is adapting the Thankga technique for Hindu and Christian topics as well. Painted furniture and other wood product are also being developed.		Ceramics: Pottery is an ancient craft in Nepal but ceramics was only introduced into local workshops in the 1980s. Since then the Newar (Prajapotis) have developed low fire skills using local technology. Red Buddha Folk Art is currently introducing improved glaze firing to reduce firing costs and introduce the potters to new technical and design skills.