Art and Crafts
Weaving (Thagzo)
Handloom weaving being most obvious among the country’s ancient skills and also being mostly wide spread, the emporium founded more conveniently, both for itself and the weavers to have a mutual business relationship. Therefore, the emporium gives opportunity to the weavers to generate income through weaving and acquire the required supplies from them instead of the emporium maintaining fleet of weavers, thus fulfilling the need of the emporium to act as a marketing support or outlet for the rural weavers.
In Bhutan three types of loom used for weaving are Pedal loom, back-strap loom and card loom. The women in the eastern and central parts of the country as known to be the best weavers. Usually the art is passed from mother to daughters from generation to generation. Hand woven in silk, raw silk, Cotton and wool.
Wood Work (Shingzo)
Having an extensive forest cover with an unusual degree of bio-diversity due to the geographic and climatic changes, the great fore fathers of Bhutan put woods into many uses in daily lives. Masks are used for mask dances during festivals. Chodroms are traditionally used as table in sitting room and alters. These are produced by the emporium but also depend on the rural craftsmen for the supply of other wood-based products like Dapa (Rice plates), Phops (Cups) and other utility items.
Cane and Bamboo Crafts (Tsarzo)
Articles from cane and bamboo includes varied types of Hats, Bangchu( container) used as a rice plate, square baskets known as Boekhur used to put yarns and used for serving dry snacks. Cylindrical water and liquor containers is known as Palang, waist basket known as Lakchung was originally used for serving food, container to store fruits and picnic/ trekking baskets are known as Zeem. All these products come from all parts of Bhutan but majority of them comes from Kangpara in Trashigang Dristic and Panbang in Zhemgang Dristic respectively.
Painting (Lhazo)
Thangkhas
Traditional Painting like Thanka, Mandala, Eight auspicious Signs, and other painting depicting various aspects are carried out by number of skilled painters employed by the Handicrafts Emporium. Besides painting, intricate murals in Dzongs and Monasteries, the external wooden portion of the monastery, temples, and house bear elegant paintings.
Thangkas are predominantly objects with meditation meanings. The portrayed subjects are very divergent from historical characters, through pure imaginary creatures to strict geometrical forms, the mandalas.These are the ultimate means of meditation because they represent the cosmos. These manadlas also return in architecture thangka’s represents the feelings and ideas that are hidden deep inside each of us. We can conclude this from the fact that the artist only starts to paint when he is mentally prepared. The work itself may take several months, depending on the size and subjects. THANGKAS are all unique, totally hand painting works of art which deserve a place in every interior.
How Thangkas are made
Thangkas are been made out of canvas cloth, stretch on wooden frame and treated with mixture of lime plaster, flour and glue them dry, rubbed with an smooth object like stone or conch to make the surface smooth. When the cloth is ready, lime powder or charcoal is applied on the outline and later traced in pencil/ink.
The outline would always begin with the central figure around which the secondary scenes would then be drawn. And the earth colours mixed with thin glue were filled in.
Silver and Gold Smithy (Trokeo)
There are lots of Bhutanese who are gifted in Gold and Silver works producing very intricately carved ornaments as well as other exquisite metal products like Silver Bathra and Chaka. Chakas are traditionally used as betel nut and leave container and Trimey is used as lime container which is an ingredient of the betel but which is locally known as Doma. Silver Koma and Japtha are also some silver works, which are used as women’s’ brooch to hold two ends of the Kira (Woman’s Dress) on the shoulders. Emporium purchases suck items from local craftsmen.
Paper Making (Dhezo)
There are number of well established traditional paper manufacturing business in the kingdom. They are made from Daphne Bark found at elevation of 150-3000 feet whose bark is first reduced to a pulp. The product comes in two qualities, Tshaesho and Raysho, the first one is of superior quality, thick and made on a bamboo mat and dried on walls. The latter is comparably thin and made on canvas cloth and screen and dried on frames in the sun. The Emporium purchases both the qualities of paper and other paper products like envelopes, bags and letter pads from any established firms.