For special ceremonies and formal occasions, Bhutanese women wear traditional kiras, handmade, intricately patterned dresses of silk, wool, hemp, and cotton wrapped over bright silk blouses and often revealed under short, stylized jackets. I ask Dema how long it takes to weave a kira.
“If a woman has a good husband, she can finish in six months.” answered Tshering. “if she sells the kira she will earn about 60 ngultrum a day.” ($1.50)
“What’s a good husband, Dema?” I ask.
“A good husband helps with the cooking so his wife can spin and weave,” she explained. “Some husbands are no good. They won’t help. Their wives need nine months to weave a kira and only earn 45 ngultrum a day.”
“And some husbands are very bad. Very stupid!” Dema’s gap tooth smile fades as she continues. “They drink and beat their wives and their women need a year to weave a kira and can only earn 30 ngultrum a day. Stupid men not leaving their wives to work!”
PHOTO PRINTS
Prints are on Hahnemuhle heavyweight (315 gsm) 100% archival cotton “Photo Rag Baryta” paper, using archival inks and archival spray coating. They have a 200-year life expectancy before any deterioration of the print will be observed when stored, handled, and displayed under archival conditions.
CANVAS PRINTS
What is often called “Gallery Wrap Canvas” is a fine art inkjet (Giclee) print on canvas, with printed edges to wrap around a wooden stretcher frame, like a painting. With canvas prints, your print image is still the same size, but given a "wrap effect" around the edges to account for the thickness of the stretcher. Canvas can be rolled and shipped with no effect to the print. Your local framing shop should be able to mount the canvas to stretchers at a fraction of the cost of traditional framing, making for an overall more economical way to get fine art on your wall. The canvas is printed to wrap around a 1-inch stretcher (1.5 inches on larger sizes). Specifications will be provided with your order. Feel free to contact us if you need guidance with your canvas order.
John prints, titles, dates, and signs all of his photos.
CUSTOM ORDERS: For custom orders of prints shipped flat, framed, or as stretched canvas, contact sales@wehrheim-productions.com