Fair Trade Lacquered Wood Centerpiece, "Spiritual Treasures"

Inspired by spiritual customs, Nantana Sompamitre designs an offering tray of glorious beauty. It is intended to be filled with colorful lotus flowers and placed on an altar in front of Buddha's image. Adorned with sumptuous golden flowers, this mango wood offering bowl is covered with several coats of lacquer, which Sompamitre prepares from the Gluta usitata tree and ashes of burnt rice paddy husks.

Sompamitre executes the florid motifs with a traditional gilding technique called lai rot nam ("watered pattern"). First the patterns are engraved free-hand with a sharp-pointed tool, and then the piece is dusted with a wooden powder. The black background is covered with a yellow gummy paint, which comes from a tree resin that has been placed in water for a day. After that, a thin coat of lacquer is applied to the entire surface and, before it dries, gold leaf is placed over it. The piece is then left to dry for approximately 20 hours. Finally, the whole lacquer ware is thoroughly rinsed in water rinsing out impurities or unattached gold leaf. The result is a piece of rich artistry where shimmering gold engraved designs contrast against a high-gloss black background.