February 17th, 2023
February 3rd, 2023
I was a little worried that the Angkor Wat I remembered from my backpacking days would be transformed into a bustling hive of busloads of clueless tourists. I can’t tell you how pleasantly surprised that this was not the case. The “Tomb Raider temple” of Ta Phrom has been rebuilt back to its former glory. Gone are most of the trees that grew through the temple and ultimately destroyed it. Now it is rebuilt. I thought it would be a letdown because the charm of this temple was the trees snaking through the dismantled stone blocks of the temple. But like all the new roads and reconstruction, it was done with taste and will preserve the temple for future generations.
January 26th, 2023
I first met Chandreas 18 years ago. He was a 12-year-old boy helping his mother in their wood statue business, struggling with English. Upon arriving in Cambodia and having him greet me after a 5-year hiatus I was amazed at the man he has become. His mother has passed away and now it is just Chandreas, his sister, and his father, Prou Kea running the business.
Chandreas sells wood statues and panels of Hindu and Buddhist motifs carved from recycled wood. The wood is from old houses, beds, and even pagodas. The wood panels are made from wood planks that are used for beds and the larger statues are carved into the thick old pillars of houses. The wood is an old, slow-growing, dense wood that is illegal to cut down anymore in Cambodia. You can feel the weight of the statue when you pick them up. They feel dense.
I love nothing more than looking through his shop, searching in the corners for the old pieces that have a good layer of dust on them, and listening to Chandreas tell tales about what the story is behind the statue or where the wood is from.
We took a trip out to where the statues are made on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. It is a big, open area just littered with sawdust and half-carved statues. The 68-year-old Prou Kea greeted me. We spent the next two hours together climbing through his shop digging in corners to find some hidden gems even he forgot about. He showed me the raw pillars that the statues are carved from and the wood planks used for the panels from old beds. A great find was 4 antique ox cart wheels that are from French colonial times and an antique rice mortar used for pounding the husk off of rice.
After we finished looking through the workshop, Chandreas’s uncle and some of his father’s friends were enjoying the afternoon next to a smokey fire, so I decided to join them.
We spent the afternoon eating salty, dried fish, and dried buffalo with ginger and stir-fried duck while drinking a fair amount of beer. On each sip of beer, everyone put their glasses together saying “Some Chul muy!” which is a respectful way of saying, cheers. The whole time I am grinning ear to ear thinking how fortunate I am to be here at that moment.
While writing this, I am watching Prou’s video where he is talking about the old wood and he is just a wonderful man. They have a wonderful family. I am honored to be associated with people like this.
January 18th, 2023
This visit to Vietnam has been an unforgettable experience. From the bustling city streets to the beautiful rural landscapes, Vietnam is full of wonder. The second stop on my Asia buying trip was central Vietnam, where our hand-carved, marble statues come to life!
Every trip to Asia gives me the chance to step away from the normal patterns of my life and allows me to think differently. Jumping over puddles, dodging the occasional marble projectile as I walk through the streets filled with artists carving marble statues, my mind is free to wander. I always come up with my best ideas when I am strolling around looking for statues.
During this perfectly happy time, I jumped across a puddle thinking I was landing in a tiny puddle only to discover it was a much deeper lake of marble dust sinking both shoes up to my ankle in sludge. This started my day of marble shopping in Vietnam. Thankfully the day got much better!
I was immediately drawn to these amazing sculptures (pictured above). I had seen them before in paintings but had never seen sculptures of them. They are Noi, fierce temple guardians who embody good and evil (yin & yang). The detail and realism of the pair are just amazing with their intense stare and rippling muscles. Watching these magnificent statues being carved is a truly awe-inspiring experience. The skill and dedication of the artisans is remarkable, as they transform single blocks of simple marble into beautiful, intricately carved works of art. I cannot wait to have them in our warehouse to keep all the negative energy from entering!
I have known Lan and Huong for 15 years. After dinner, we all went to a dessert restaurant where I tried 5 different dishes of variations of fruit and coconut milk each stranger and more delicious than the previous dish. I asked her why it was that Vietnamese people were so happy and carefree. She replied with a simple answer that was actually the perfect answer….”We feel safe.”
I meditated on this while staring out the window on the ride back home to my hotel room. When I sat on my bed I immediately deleted all my news apps on my phone. Nothing inspires division, fear and hate more than our modern media. Good riddance!
Kuan pictured above is one of the main artists who is in charge of the final finer details of a sculpture. When I first started Lotus Sculpture 22 years ago, I used to think that one person carved each statue. That is not the case. Each statue is carved by a group of artists with each person responsible for a different aspect of the statue.
There are separate people who are responsible for:
1. The rough cut: Artists cut out the outline of the statue from a solid block of marble.
2. Carving the entire body and shape of the face.
3. Carving the intricate details of the robes.
4. Carving the finer details like the facial expression and slender curves of the fingers.
5. Sanding and polishing the final statue.
Highly skilled artists, like Kuan, carve the most important aspect of the statue; the face and hands. Just watching him work for 10 minutes and seeing the smile of Avalokiteshvara come to life is pure bliss for me!
This buying trip so far has been such an incredible experience.
I’m so thankful to have had yet another opportunity to take an amazing trip to Vietnam and I already cannot wait to come back!
Next stop, Cambodia to visit my wood artists and to look for new stone and bronze artists. Stay tuned!
~Kyle Tortora, Founder, Lotus Sculpture
January 11th, 2023
I finally made it back!
Vietnam is great! Everyone just lives their lives and enjoys it. There isn’t any pretense or anger between individuals. Driving, everyone is cutting people off and doing 3-point turns in the middle of busy roads. No one cares. It’s refreshing. Some people dance in the park at 7 am while others line up for group massages. I love it. It is the way life should be.
I always have such an incredible time here visiting the country’s local artisans in search of new, unique, and simply stunning wooden Buddhist sculptures.
As I make my way throughout Vietnam’s quaint coastal towns, jungles, and bustling cities – prepare yourself to be amazed by our artisans showcasing their incredible craftsmanship.
I’ve already discovered an abundance of new, one-of-a-kind, hand-carved wooden figures that radiated love, peace, and harmony. From wooden Buddha statues to Guanyin, Bodhidharma, and Hotei Buddhas, there are so many fantastic sculptures to admire here in this wonderful country.
Follow along as I share my encounters with the talented artists of Lotus Sculpture and give you a sneak peek into which statues may be coming with me!
Below are the faces of the artists Lotus Sculpture buys our wood statues from. I visited in the week before their Lunar New Year; Tet. It could not have been a better time for them to sell some of their statues. They were overjoyed to have some extra money right before they go on a month’s vacation for the New Year. On behalf of the artists, I will also say thank you to our wonderful customers. None of this would be possible without you!
Free UPS Ground Shipping SALE!
For a limited time we are offering free UPS Ground shipping on all orders within the 48 States. International customers will receive a 40% discount off the price of shipping. This discount will be extended to our Canadian customers as well!
Items weighing over 150 pounds including packing materials will be shipped using a freight service. Domestic Freight will be discounted by 35%!
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