Laos Mine Artist's view

Peter Churcher catalogue

"Entering this village, about 20 kilometres out of Ban Houayxai, was quite an experience. I had never visited such an authentic and remote village as this before.

All the houses were hand constructed from bamboo thatch and the village animals (pigs, goats and chickens) wandered freely about. I felt quite conspicuously 'foreign' as I ventured into this village with my palette in hand. The villagers were just sitting and staring at me with open mouths. I was being followed by my assistants, Phomvihane and Lei, who were carrying the rest of my gear.

In this painting, I wanted to capture the sense of how the local community lived, not as underprivileged or lacking in any way, but as selfsufficient and adhering to a mode of life unchanged and perfectly adapted to their environment."

An excerpt taken from the catalogue comprising the collection:
"Our People, Community and Landscape."

http://www.panaust.com.au/sites/default/files/2013-01-churcher210x21028.pdf

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