Photo Du Jour: Street Art For Sale in Luang Prabang

With vivid strokes and vibrant hues, artists depict Buddha, saffron-clad monks, and shimmering banyan trees on delicate paper. This artwork can be found in Luang Prabang’s night market, as well as at stands set up along the town’s brick sidewalks. If you’re lucky, you might even spot the paper as it’s being made, drying in the sun on a sleepy back street.

When I made my maiden voyage to Laos a few years ago, I purchased a picture similar to these. After exploring Luang Prabang’s markets for a few days, I eventually chose an image of Buddha sitting in lotus position underneath a banyan tree. I rolled the minimalist black and gold painting, tucked it into my backpack, and handled it as gingerly as I could. However, by the time I made it home three weeks (and many bumpy bus rides later) the handmade paper had creases.

Years later, those wrinkles remind me of the journey the picture – and I – went on.

Where in the World?

About the author

Hi! My name is Tricia Mitchell. I delight in telling stories about my slow travels through more than 65 countries. Some of my highlights have included sharing meals with locals in Armenia, Cambodia, and Tunisia; sipping sparkling wine with French cousins in Alsace; milking goats in a sleepy Bulgarian village; and training with a Japanese mine-clearance team in Laos. My husband, Shawn, and I are based in France’s Loire Valley.

8 responses to “Photo Du Jour: Street Art For Sale in Luang Prabang”

Cassie

March 7, 2012

Pretty!

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  March 8, 2012
  
  What’s wonderfully tempting is that these lovely pictures (I’m particularly drawn to the trees) are so affordable — just a few dollars! If only I didn’t fear they’d get all crumpled in my backpack during our travels… Thanks for dropping in, Cassie!
  
marinachetner

March 8, 2012

lovely images – I wish i could be there!

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  March 12, 2012
  
  Perhaps you can swing by when you swoop back to your home continent! Luang Prabang has one of best handicraft markets I’ve ever seen – it was a bit easier to shop as a single gal during my first trip there, hence my limited purchases this time around! It’s always good to have a hubby ask if something is really needed, though, otherwise my luggage would be extremely obese! :-)
  
Cabbie Notes

March 9, 2012

Sometimes picking up the street art is worth the risk of getting crumpled. Especially if your travel plans don’t have you swinging back there again. I was lucky one time to find a unique block print at a farmers’ market in Lyon many years ago and to this day it still proudly hangs on my wall reminding me of my travels.

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  March 12, 2012
  
  I so agree! When I tiptoed through Luang Prabang on a 3-week SE Asian adventure in 2009, I purchased a lovely picture similar to these – with Buddha seated under a banyan tree. By the time the rolled piece of art had made it home, it had creases – a now-charming addition that reminds me of the journey the picture went on. It’s now one of the favorites that seems so at home with my other items from around the world. Perhaps now seeing the freedom that can come from having less, I’m trying to minimize my new acquisitions though. :)
  
  Your block print sounds lovely! Being a francophile, I have a soft spot for French antiques and trinkets.
  
janewalters

March 10, 2012

Very striking images – I’d love those for my walls.

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  March 12, 2012
  
  Jane, as I looked at them more closely, I was wondering if perhaps they could be duplicated back home. Just as many of the temples in Luang Prabang are decorated with stencils, I think the same technique may apply with these pictures. The challenge might be in finding large sheets of beautifully-handmade paper, though!