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Category Archives: How To

The Lazy Artists Guide to Finishing Professional Quality Frames

Many people have complimented me on my frames, and were surprised that I was finishing them myself.

Posted byStephan GianniniAugust 30, 2018March 26, 2020Posted inHow To, UncategorizedLeave a comment on The Lazy Artists Guide to Finishing Professional Quality Frames

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These are the tidal flats of the Mekong River. There were many little house boats like this, some with people living on them, others for shipping passengers or freight. I think this was my favorite painting in Luang Prabang. Also this was the night me and some of my fellow travelers at my guest house decided to go down to the night market and get some Lao-Lao, which was the local bootlegged rice whiskey. It’s really rather rough to drink, but we managed several shots each, and I definitely felt it in the morning. I had a great time most evenings just hanging out with a group of new friends at the guest house. Mostly I spent time with this one family which was a son and his parents from Britain, and they were making their way through Laos after spending time in Nepal. Fascinating. From 2010.

This is a Buddhist Wat on the outskirts of Luang Prabang, Laos. I didn’t have a moped in Laos to get around, so I just took long walks with a backpack full of painting gear. I think it was this day that I met a young man who could speak some English, and befriended me, and ended up taking me for a small meal. When we were at the restaurant, the waitress was having words with him,and I think she was actually asking him to leave. Later when he started asking me for money to pay for his “school,“ I realized why. I think he was a little bit of a con-man. But that was one of the very few bad experiences I had during my whole Southeast Asia trip. 5 x 7”, oil on prepared card stock. From my 2010 SE. Asian trip. If you would like to read more about my entire four month sojourn in Southeast Asia, there’s a link in my information.#pleinairpainting #buddhism #wat #laos

Another view of one of the Buddhist temples. There were lovely gardens at all the temples I saw. And if you look carefully, you can see an orange clad monk sitting on a bench in front of the rear building. One of the oddest things that tourists did in Luang Prabang, was to make offerings to a morning procession of buddhist monks. One would go down to a particular avenue, early in the day, and either bring, or purchase food from the vendors that were there to sell it to you. I did it once, and felt very uncomfortable, and most of the monks refused my offerings. And they were right, there was no piety, no belief coming from me that day. It occurred to me later that the monks knew what I was giving them from the wrapping, and didn’t like it. Perhaps because the vendor was selling a substandard product? An educational experience. 6 x 7”, or 15 x 18 cm., oil. #pleinairpainting #wat#buddhism

Here is a statue of a gate guardian on the grounds of a buddhist temple in Luang Prabang, Laos. These are called “dvarapala, “ and are typically placed outside temples or palaces in southern Asia to serve as protectors. They are found in Buddhist, Hindu, and Jaina cultures. The temples also serve as monasteries, and there’s always lots of monks around. Typically one son from every family serves at least one year as a monk. If they stay longer, it’s often because they receive an education, sometimes training in English. Most Buddhist monks will not stay for their entire lives. All this I was told by a young monk who spoke fluent English that I met in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Painted in 2010 during a multi-country painting trip in Southeast Asia. #pleinairpainting #dvarapala #gategaurdian #buddhism #wat

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