The Atelier

Five painters, two workshops, one very old discipline.

Our painters work in family workshops around Patan and Boudhanath in the Kathmandu Valley. Each painting is made by a single artist, following proportions and iconometric drawing traditions that have been passed down for generations.

01 · Cotton & gesso

Cotton is stretched and prepared by hand until the surface is smooth enough for the first drawing.

02 · The grid

The composition begins on an iconometric grid, establishing the proportions and placement of every figure and symbol.

03 · Mineral pigment

Colours are built from hand-ground mineral pigments, traditionally including lapis, malachite, cinnabar and other natural materials.

04 · Gold

Fine details are finished with 24k gold and burnished to a quiet sheen with polished stone.

Every work is attributed to its painter, and artists set their own prices and are paid before a painting leaves Nepal.