Bamboo Basket Boating by Sue Hill. The inspiration for this acrylic painting came from a visit to Vietnam. The ‘thung chai‘ or basket boat is woven from bamboo and is hemispherical in shape. They are made by hammering strips of bamboo into place. The boat is then waterproofed with resin from coconut oil or tar.
Originally these were made by poor Vietnamese fishermen who relied on them for their livelihood as they could not pay the taxes levied by the French in the colonial era on regular fishing boats. They argued they could not be taxed as they were baskets not boats. Basket boats have since become a feature of the waterways and are now a part of tourism in Vietnam.
Here, Sue has painted three basket boats being paddled to a riverside shack where the passengers will be refreshed with cool drinks and food.
Sue has sealed the painting with matt medium varnish. It is signed on the back and is wired ready to hang. The edges of the painting are painted black.
