Tuesday, March 12, 2013

The Khmer Worker's Home


















The Khmer Worker's Home - oil on linen canvas - 12"x9"

Close by the resorts and bungalows on the islands you can find where the working staff live.
There accommodation is always meager, cramped and often strung together by left over wood, corrugated iron and tarpaulin.
Many times the Cambodian or Burmese people that work and live here on these Thai islands stay in communal buildings which are built to accommodate them through the build of the resort. Some families then stay on to continue work at the resorts.

This Cambodian man's home was nestled in among long grass and trees at the top of the highest hill on the island. I think he was delighted, and slightly shocked, to see me when I asked permission to paint at his home. After a while many of his family and friends came by to see the painting.
Painting for me, like this out of the studio, always remains a great way to meet and connect with people, even from other cultures.

- Richard

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