Why I love Nepal - signboard art from Pokhara!

 

This guy certainly has his hands full!   This signboard is in Pokhara, a lovely resort town centered on the lovely Lake Fewa.

 
Looks like this dog took the advice on this sign.   His chakra seems well-balanced.   Again on the main road in Pokhara.   Notice the signboard on the left:   Namaste Bakery.   Pokhara is a very continental town and caters to many nationalities, as evidenced by the Israeli lettering on that sign.   Israelis are catered to in town, with many restaurants offering bagels, Israeli salads, etc.   There are many cyber cafes that offer Hebrew keyboards.  

 
Fresh hot delicious fish from Lake Fewa.   Can anyone figure out what the G/V, R/V mean on this sign?   R/V might be rice and vegetables, but G/V?

 
These are definitely Funny Bunnies.   I can guarantee you that rabbit is not on the menu.   

 
Cheap and Best.   This signboard was painted one of my signboard artists:  Shahi.

 
I've tried to find the artist who painted this butcher shop signboard.   I enjoy the bloody neck detail and he had fun with the lettering, too.   This guy tried hard to put his stamp on this signage.   The artist's name is Arjun, but I don't know the last name and Arjun is quite a common name in Nepal.

 
Here is a self portrait of Arjun that was hanging in his shop.   He wasn't there at the time and when I went back next trip, his shop had disappeared.   He does look quite the character.

 
As you can see, Pokhara is a sybaritic town, with fresh fish, mountains, massages and all sorts of ways to relax and have fun.

 
This is Harriet the rescue dog as a work in progress from Punam Arts in Pokhara.  This is an example of the type of work  you can expect when you order a portrait of your pet from the Nepal Art Dog Fair Trade art project.

As you can see, the art of Nepal is versatile and charming.   It would be a shame to have these hand-painted signs be replaced by corporate sponsored signage produced in conjunction with a focus group, probably a focus group in another country.

The Nepal Art Dog project promotes the endangered art of Nepali signboards.   These Fair Trade signboards are hand-painted on recycled metal, using synthetic enamel and can be hung indoors or out.  They are approximately one foot square.  Over 1400 portraits have been commissioned to date, giving these artists real work.

 

On my most recent trip to Nepal, the Danger Dog commissions were the only art these artists were still hand painting -- all their other work was mass-produced, digital or printed on flex.   I decided to concentrate on pets as there was a tradition in Nepal already of 'beware of dog' placards and I knew that people would like them.    These are truly fine artists whose work is disappearing at an alarming rate. 

 

Each commission will be given to at least 3 signboard artists - giving 3 people work, the pet owner a choice and museum shops Nepali folk art.   No money is accepted up front.   If you don't like any of the 3 choices, you pay nothing.    Or you can buy an existing painting. 

 

This project is for pet lovers who collect art and would like to make a difference in these artists' lives.

 

Micro-finance through art patronage!

 

More information is available at NepalDog.com.

 

Contact me at ampage1@gmail.com to place an order or to answer any questions.