Hand Painted Terracotta Bowls -Set of 5.

Description

These Hand Painted Terracotta Bowls are beautifully decorated in the bright and bold designs that are traditional in the Mithila or Madhbani style.

They are hand painted in Madhyapur Thimi, just outside of Kathmandu.

Perfect little dishes for keeping jewellery in or any bits and bobs.

They also look great in a kitchen or dining table, even a bathroom as quirky storage, why not? 

Each pack comes with five assorted designs.

As these items are hand painted, designs and colours will vary.

Watch a video of Lisa opening a new delivery of these adorable bowls here.

We love that they come shipped in original local newspapers and sometimes even sheets from students' exercise books, which all adds to the unique charm of these one of a kind products. 

They make perfect ethical gifts- give either as a set or one to five friends.

We love the naïve art style, quirky, cute and cheerful.

As usual with things we love on Rainbow Life there is an interesting story that connects us to the artisans. These seemingly simple dishes are no exception. Check out "Meet The Artisans" tab. Made by artisans who are paid fairly. 

Specifications

Each dish  9 cm.
Origin: Nepal
Fair Trade
Paint used is lead free and non-toxic
We recommend cleaning carefully with a soft damp cloth

Meet the Artisans

Mithila is a geographical and cultural region that straddles parts of Northern India and Southern Nepal. For centuries, the people of the region (with a particular focus on Madhubani district) have practised a vibrant and fascinating style of painting and we are pleased to be offering an lovely new range of Mithila products.

The tiny little workshop where the artisans who create these wonderful products work is on a dusty street next door to a dry store shop and overlooking a river. The shopkeepers are a husband and wife team who run the business together.

Inside a group of five women were working away on all manner of amazingly colourful items. Traditionally, Mithila painting uses a wide range of tools and techniques including brushes, sticks, nib pens, matchsticks and fingers to get the distinctive look.

The painting style was initially done on the freshly plastered walls and floors of mud huts but its use has now been transferred to paper, canvas and cardboard surfaces.  The artwork will often be inspired by various aspects of everyday life as well as by religious stories. Scenes will often incorporate elements of the natural world for example fish, suns, moons, trees, plants, and various animals.

When people are depicted, they are shown in a distinctive side-on perspective and pieces will rarely have any blank spaces, instead the artisans fill every part with patterns and colour. The skills for Mithila painting are usually passed on from generation to generation, mainly by women. The owners of this workshop have been helping to keep the art form alive whilst providing valuable employment by training new workers in the style. The paint is a lead-free non-toxic brand.

Story

Siesta Crafts was started in 1983 by Chris and Les Harper with a market stall selling handicrafts that were brought back from their travels from Mexico and Guatemala (hence the name!).

They now import directly from suppliers in countries all over the world on a Fair Trade basis and they are proud to be a member of the British Association for Fair Trade Shops and Suppliers.

They specialise in unusual and interesting gifts. In this day and age of anodyne, cloned town high streets, it is good to see they have a vibrant, colourful presence with a wide range of unique and colourful handcrafted and fair trade items.

Their intention is that by trading with their producers they are helping them to achieve economic self-sufficiency, whilst simultaneously bringing to their customers the skills and crafts of other cultures. 

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