Big fish from the Mekong

This morning, just down the road from our arts guest house on the banks of the Mekong River in NE Thailand, everybody was discussing the big fish that one of the fishermen had caught.  They rang the restaurant just downstream from us and the lady on the left came with her motorbike to buy it and take it back for this evening's menu.

A Shaman preparing for a ritual communication with the spirits

*A Shaman preparing for a ritual communication with the spirits*
 at the village near our Arts Retreat Guest House in NE Thailand

 where I teach painting and photography. My wife introduces our guests to Thai village life and local food.

http://thailand-painting-holidays.com

#painting #holiday #thailand #travel #vacation #photography #culture #experience

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Discover Thailand - Painting - Photography Slideshow & Video

Discover Thailand - Painting - Photography Slideshow & Video: TripAdvisor™ TripWow ★ Discover Thailand - Painting - Photography Slideshow ★ to Phon Phisai, Nong Khai Province. Stunning free travel slideshows on TripAdvisor

*A dancing girl at an open air free show common in NE Thailand.*

The singers male and female are huge stars and sing in the beautiful traditional style.  I will see if I can get a video clip to add to this.  There are distinct roles; a handsome lead male singer; a beautiful female lead; a man dressed up in sequins in a traditional style; a man dressed as a woman like a pantomime lady.  

In between songs they perform sketches which are very funny, even to me despite my not understanding a word.  There are lots of double meanings and sexual innuendo which the audience loves.

http://thailand-painting-holidays.com

Visit our painting and photography artist retreat guesthouse in NE Thailand

by Jeremy Holton https://plus.google.com/u/0/104359568476968412848?rel=author

#Thailand #painting #holidays

This is a painting of the Pilbara region of Western Australia in oil on canvas 30 by 61 cms.  It will be in my solo exhibition at Element's Art Gallery in Dalkeith WA.

At first you think the night is silent, then as your eyes gradually begin to see and darks shapes turn into deep reds you begin to hear. The moon is a cold white but somehow the trees in front of you are gold and the scratching scrabbling sounds begin, punctuated by shrieks and distant moans. You are not alone, but the endless life and death dramas of small creatures will not harm you. You are safe here in the Pilbara, enjoy the colours, the presence of the rocks and the sound of the night.

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Visit our painting and photography artist retreat guesthouse in NE Thailand
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#painting #art #jeremyholton

Our neighbour's farmhouse.  Most people have a house like this on the farm as well as in the village.  Often the men will stay there overnight.  I suspect this is to drink Thai whisky and get away from their wives.

We have an arts retreat guesthouse in NE Thailand where I teach painting and photography. My wife introduces our guests to Thai village life and local food.
http://thailand-painting-holidays.com

#painting #holiday #thailand #travel #vacation #photography #culture #experience
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*'Abundance' by Jeremy Holton*
100 by 120 cms oil on canvas
#painting #art #jeremyholton
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Visit our art and photography guest house in NE Thailand
by Jeremy Holton https://plus.google.com/u/0/104359568476968412848?rel=author

Early morning in the village of Ban Pho in Isaan NE Thailand, where we take our guests to see village life and meet Waree's family.

I teach painting and photography. My wife introduces our guests to Thai village life and NE Thailand cooking.  We provide full board and guided discovery trips limited to 4 to 6 people at out arts guest house in NE Thailand http://thailand-painting-holidays.com

#painting #holiday #thailand #travel #vacation #photography #culture #experience
http://www.jeremyholton.com
by Jeremy Holton https://plus.google.com/u/0/104359568476968412848?rel=author

'Deep Blue Day' 91 by 120 cms Oil on Canvas by Jeremy Holton http://www.jeremyholton.com

A friend of mine used to say that the sky is much bigger in Perth, and so it is. With our dry climate the stars are closer as well. Most of all its the Swan River that makes Perth the wonderful city it is. I have so many memories; of wading chest high at night trawling for prawns phosphorescence glittering in the clear water, of Saturday afternoon dingy racing, SCUBA training at Blackwall Reach, drunken noisy boat parties, wind surfing......Above all its Blue, the sky is Blue, the river is Blue, the whole world is BLUE.

#painting #perth #australia #art


Visit our art and photography guest house in NE Thailand http://thailand-painting-holidays.com

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*Thai food* Insects

#Insects are a popular dish in NE Thailand, caught overnight in a bucket of water funneled by  a sheet of corrugated from a light which attracts them. In the morning we have a big fry-up.

Everybody should try them once at least, during your Thailand discovery holiday if only just to be able to say they have eaten insects.

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Visit our art and photography guest house in NE Thailand

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#Thai #food

*Death of a flower* 57 by 57 cms oil pastel on paper

*Death of a flower*
57 by 57 cms oil pastel on paper

The Waratah Art Gallery asked me to paint a Waratah flower for their inaugural exhibition. I painted one Waratah with the exuberance of youth and one with the rich colours and subtleties of death and decay. Unfortunately the Waratah Art Gallery itself died in infancy to be re-born as Challen & Rafferty Gallery.  Which died in its turn as all galleries do. This painting reminds us that there is beauty as well as inevitability in death.

#painting #art #flowers

by Jeremy Holton 

http://www.jeremyholton.com

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Visit our art and photography guest house in NE Thailand

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Monk people and dog at the Wat

Whatever religion you have there is something magic about visiting a Buddhist Wat.  There are many wonderful temples in Phon Phisai and even the village of Ban Pho has three. 

They all have gorgeous golden decorations, serpents, dragons and of course Buddhas.  When you visit them, apart from looking at the rich ornamentation and wall paintings spend some time in contemplation.

You take off your shoes of course before you enter and kneel before Buddha, then wei three times bowing to the ground.  Putting your feet towards Buddha or others is a sign of disrespect in Thailand so you always sit with your feet facing away from Buddha. 

There are many activities associated with paying your respects to Buddha.  Lighting incense sticks and leaving them burning, lighting candles and offering flowers.  My favourite is letting small birds out of their cage so that they can fly away to freedom.  This is not only symbolic but deeply satisfying, despite the knowledge that they will probably be caught and sold again in another small cage.  Such is the circle of life for the small birds.

This is near the village where we will take you if stay at our art retreat guesthouse in NE Thailand

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'Bondi' 57 by 76 cms gouache on paper by Jeremy Holton

'Bondi'  57 by 76 cms gouache on paper by Jeremy Holton

I did this sketch several years ago in Sydney and discovered it again quite recently in one of my folios. I liked the freedom and movement in the work with the sense of space, of sky and the sea against the rocks so I had it framed.

#painting
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Blessing during my wedding in NE Thailand

This is our wedding and show's my wife Waree's mother tying magic string around my wrist while she says words of blessing, which I can't understand as she is speaking Thai/Lao.

Waree supports my arm and I hold my left hand up.

This is a great tradition in NE Thailand and every time we return to Australia we have many strings around our wrists from the good luck blessings we have had from family, friends and neighbours.

 Visit our art and photography arts retreat guest house in NE Thailand

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by Jeremy Holton https://plus.google.com/u/0/104359568476968412848?rel=author
   

Moon Rising over th Mitchell Falls in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia

'Moon rising over the Mitchell Falls' oil on canvas 100 by 111 cms 

by Jeremy Holton 

http://www.jeremyholton.com

Its 2 to 3 days driver from Perth to the Kimberley in the remote North of Western Australia. Another day or two along the Gibb River Road and then the track to the Mitchell Plateau. The roads are impassable in the Wet so its best to go soon after when the gorges are all flowing and hope that you don’t get blocked by a river crossing. The Mitchell Falls is worth it. This is early evening in the Dry when the falls are not in full spate but its still magnificent. I went for a walk from our camp site and left it too late to return. It was dark and I knew I had to cross a creek but couldn't find the path. In the end I took a guess as to where the camp was and waded across the stream in the dark (no crocs in that section I hoped) and luckily my sense of direction was OK as I scrambled into the camp as my friends were beginning to get worried. Nothing for several hundred kms cliffs and gorges not a good place to get lost in the dark.

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Visit our art and photography guest house in NE Thailand

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#painting #australia #waterfall #jeremyholton

Elephants in Thailand

Tame elephants are common in Thailand and they turn up in the village, at restaurants etc.  Their handlers charge a small amount for a ride.  Although we can't predict where the elephants will be its likely that you will see one at some time during your photography painting holiday and have a ride if you like.

My son Toby is in blue on the right

   

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Visit our art and photography guest house in NE Thailand

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'Fabulous flowers'  56 by 76 cms oil on paper by Jeremy Holton
#painting #jeremyholton
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The terrace pergola and the river at Mekong House our painting holidays guest house in NE Thailand.  This  was taken in January by November the terrace will be complete.
#thailand #painting #holidays

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Visit our art and photography guest house in NE Thailand
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'On our way' 100 by 120 cms oil on canvas

by Jeremy Holton
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Rice fields in NE Thailand near our village.

I teach painting and photography. My wife introduces our guests to Thai village life and NE Thailand cooking.  We provide full board and guided discovery trips limited to 4 to 6 people at out arts guest house in NE Thailand http://thailand-painting-holidays.com

#painting #holiday #thailand #travel #vacation #photography #culture #experience
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by Jeremy Holton https://plus.google.com/u/0/104359568476968412848?rel=author

'Undergrowth' 120 by 120 cms oil on canvas by Jeremy Holton 

#painting #flowers #art

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Visit our art and photography guest house in NE Thailand

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A temple market in the village of Ban Pho, NE Thailand
We take our guests here from our art and photography guest house in NE Thailand
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 #painting #holiday #thailand #travel #vacation #photography #culture #experience http://www.jeremyholton.com
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'Echoes of the day' 60 by 90cms by Jeremy Holton

I call the track that runs from the Great Northern Highway down to the Gibb River Road past Tunnel Creek "Limestone Road" as there are fossil Devonian coral reefs all the way. This creates a wonderful landscape of rounded reefs caves, boabs and palms. There are crevices, hidden valleys and caves in which animals hide in the heat of the day, so too do the ghosts which wait for dusk, oozing from cracks and floating down the track seeking stragglers from the day.

http://www.jeremyholton.com
http://thailand-painting-holidays.com
Visit our art and photography guest house in NE Thailand
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Visit our art and photography guest house in NE Thailand http://thailand-painting-holidays.com
#painting #holiday #thailand #travel #vacation #photography #culture #experience
http://www.jeremyholton.com
by Jeremy Holton https://plus.google.com/u/0/104359568476968412848?rel=author

'Red Ship' 120x100 cms oil on canvas

The power of naivety and ships in the harbour. This painting was influenced by one of my favourite artists John Perceval http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Perceval

#painting #Perceval #jeremyholton #seascape $3700

Visit our art and photography guest house in NE Thailand http://thailand-painting-holidays.com

#painting #holiday #thailand #travel #vacation #photography #culture #experience

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by Jeremy Holton https://plus.google.com/u/0/104359568476968412848?rel=author

Immediately after having a baby village women lie in a room with a cauldron of hot steaming herbs for several weeks.  They believe that this makes their bodies recover from the birth more quickly.

Visit our art and photography guest house in NE Thailand http://thailand-painting-holidays.com
#painting #holiday #thailand #travel #vacation #photography #culture #experience
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by Jeremy Holton https://plus.google.com/u/0/104359568476968412848?rel=author

'The flower arranger'  76 by 56 cms oil on paper

From the "Fat Lady' series  a whimsical commentary on relations between the sexes with ambiguous undercurrents. She has a caring love hate relationship with her little men. Here they are her flowers carefully tended and greatly loved but some have wilted away

#painting #imagination

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by Jeremy Holton https://plus.google.com/u/0/104359568476968412848?rel=author

People in the village of Ban Pho in NE Thailand.

Visit our art and photography guest house in NE Thailand http://thailand-painting-holidays.com
#painting #holiday #thailand #travel #vacation #photography #culture #experience
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by Jeremy Holton https://plus.google.com/u/0/104359568476968412848?rel=author

A Thai village wedding with two essential features. Everybody ties 'magic string' around the wrists of the couple to bring them luck and the pot of money gifts.  Money is especially important and in some weddings they announce the value of the gifts over a PA system.  Apart from gifts the groom's family have to pay a 'bride price' to the bride's family and this reflects the value of the bride and the wealth of the groom.

Visit us in our guest house we arrange visits to weddings where possible.

http://thailand-painting-holidays.com

#painting #holiday #thailand #travel #vacation #photography #culture #experience

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The view of the Mekong River in Phon Phisai NE Thailand from the Bonnard guest room.

I teach painting and photography. My wife introduces our guests to Thai village life and NE Thailand cooking.  We provide full board and guided discovery trips limited to 4 to 6 people at out arts guest house in NE Thailand http://thailand-painting-holidays.com

#painting #holiday #thailand #travel #vacation #photography #culture #experience
http://www.jeremyholton.com
by Jeremy Holton https://plus.google.com/u/0/104359568476968412848?rel=author

'A place without time' oil on canvas 61x41 cms $1950 

As the Toodyay Road winds its way down the escarpment into the coastal plains, on the left there is a hidden valley where huge boulders and trees have an uncanny presence.  It is a place to stop and to listen to the silence.

#painting #perth #jeremyholton #Australia #landscape

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Visit our art and photography guest house in NE Thailand

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Tree ants are commonly collected and eaten in the village. Sometimes for their eggs and sometimes as an ingredient for a dish. I have eaten the eggs and they taste good. I hope you will try some during your painting and photography holiday with us in NE Thailand. thailand-painting-holidays.com

 #painting #holiday #thailand #travel #vacation #photography #culture #experience

by Jeremy Holton https://plus.google.com/u/0/104359568476968412848?rel=author

'Red roses for a blue lady' oil on paper 76x57 cms
#painting #flowers #jeremyholton
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Visit our art and photography guest house in NE Thailand
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At the wats (temples) in Thailand they sell cages containing small birds.  The boys (and me) love to open the cage door and let them fly free.  Of course the vendors probably capture them so that somebody else can pay to free them, but it still feels good:)
This is my wife and son Toby freeing the birds.
Visit our art and photography guest house in NE http://Thailand thailand-painting-holidays.com
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Moonlight oil on canvas 100 x 120 cms by Jeremy Holton A moonlit view of the Darling Ranges escarpment.

This is the second in a series of paintings of moonlit views of the Darling Ranges escarpment. If you have been there you will recognise the winding tracks, rounded granite boulders, sparse straggly trees and armies of black tree grasses, burnt by fire and marching with their spears raised in silent salute. Waiting for the night when they will be free to roam again across this wild and beautiful place. Beware for there are things here that you do not understand

.#painting #jeremyholton #landscape #Perth #Australia
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Visit our painting photography discover the real Thailand guesthouse on the banks of the Mekong River
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Scary dummies

A village carnival in NE Thailand

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Waree's two nephews Edt and Note having their hair cut when they were made monks recently.  The girl on the right is Warees niece Pang who helps at the guesthouse

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'Tower of light' 122x41 cms oil on canvas by Jeremy Holton.  This is a view of the University of Western Australia from the Swan River with the tower of Winthrop Hall.  $3000 #painting #landscape #perth #australia.
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I love the sound of Isaan music especially the haunting tunes from the bamboo pipes.  They are often played during events in the villages and in the outdoor music and dancing stage shows.

This is one of the local headmen who is our electrician and I count as a friend even though we have no language in common.

#painting #holiday #thailand #travel #vacation #photography #culture #experience

This is a work in progress and I would greatly appreciate any advice on how I can improve it. Its oil on canvas 102 x 76 cms

#painting #ns
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Waree my wife and co-host at our Thailand holiday guesthouse getting breakfast.
#painting #holiday #thailand #travel #vacation #photography #culture #experience
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"Fantastic colour" Oil on canvas 120 by 120 cms by Jeremy Holton
 #painting jeremyholton.com thailand-painting-holidays.com Visit our art and photography guest house in NE Thailand by Jeremy Holton https://plus.google.com/u/0/104359568476968412848?rel=author

'Through the looking glass' oil on canvas by Jeremy Holton.

 #painting #holiday #thailand #travel #vacation #photography #culture #experience jeremyholton.com thailand-painting-holidays.com Visit our art and photography guest house in NE Thailand by Jeremy Holton https://plus.google.com/u/0/104359568476968412848?rel=author

Fishing boats on the Mekong River in NE Thailand.  This was taken in the morning from the river below our guest house which is on the banks of the Mekong.

Throughout the day you can watch lone fishermen casting their nets in the wide river.  In the distance you can see Laos.

#painting #holiday #thailand #travel #vacation #photography #culture #experience
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"Land of dreams" Oil on canvas 112 by 112 cms $3500 by Jeremy Holton  

I know this place. I have been there many times. Was it a dream? There is a hillside and a stream. Many dark places in which I cannot see. All is green and lush with vegetation. Rich. Tropical? Or are there mines? Somewhere in the light. I can see houses. Or can I? I can hear the animals now and the tinkling drips of water in my mind. Have you been here? If not its time you came with me to find it. You have been here before you know. You will never remember when or how but just know that it was and will be a land of dreams.


#painting #holiday #thailand jeremyholton.com thailand-painting-holidays.com Visit our art and photography guest house in NE Thailand by Jeremy Holtonhttps://plus.google.com/u/0/104359568476968412848?rel=author

Whenever I come across a roti vender with his motorbike and sidecar, I can't resist buying some.  Its delicious and I am sure they can't be too fattening!  They are cooked with dough, egg, butter and condensed milk, then wrapped up in paper so you can eat your way from top to bottom.

Visit our art and photography guest house in NE Thailand
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"Feel my heart beat"  oil on paper view of Fremantle, Western Australia by Jeremy Holton
 #painting #holiday #thailand jeremyholton.com thailand-painting-holidays.com Visit our art and photography guest house in NE Thailand by Jeremy Holton https://plus.google.com/u/0/104359568476968412848?rel=author

Girl at a traditional village wedding in Isaan NE Thailand

From our art and photography guest house in NE Thailand

#painting #holiday #thailand

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'A paradise for poets' by Jeremy Holton
#painting #holiday #thailand #perth #landscape
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Dawn at the village of Ban Pho in NE Thailand where I have my old studio.  Now we have our arts and photography guesthouse on the banks of the Mekong not far away in Phon Phisai, but we take our guests to the village.

#painting #holiday #thailand
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