SKU: 90332424428

Neylu village, Laya, 2004

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Neylu village, Laya, 2004In a misguided attempt to legislate a unified national culture in the wake of the Nepali uprising, Bhutan's government instituted the Driglam Namzha policy to guide public dress and architecture. In a country where the elevation ranges from 300 feet to 25,000 feet and encompasses a wide variety of climates, cultures, and local materials, this "unifying" policy was a disaster and often had the opposite effect of creating a "nationwide family." Bhutan's

In a misguided attempt to legislate a unified national culture in the wake of the Nepali uprising, Bhutan's government instituted the Driglam Namzha policy to guide public dress and architecture. In a country where the elevation ranges from 300-feet to 25,000-feet and encompasses a wide variety of climates, cultures, and local materials, this "unifying" policy was a disaster and often had the opposite effect of creating a "nationwide family."

Bhutan's traditional Drukpa dress is fashionably elegant as well as practical in the Drukpa heartland. However, it is hot and cumbersome in the sweltering lowlands and did not go well with the Lhotshampa, used to Nepali clothes. The urban youth preferred Western fashion and ignored the government.

The dress code is enforced in offices and schools. It is accepted by most Bhutanese as attractive and stylish for formal occasions. But for the most part, the policy is disregarded, and the government turns a blind eye.

Bhutanese village architecture evolved by necessity. Geography dictated building structure, rooflines, and materials. Sun, wind, water, economics, and local gods, decreed building placement, orientation, density, and village cluster design.

 

Now building codes demand nationwide uniformity. New structures appear to be traditional—modeled on the enlightened form and expression of the dzongs and the vernacular wisdom of the villages—but often lack the harmony and balance of village houses. Traditional details, built with wood, earth, and stone, are now being imitated in concrete and steel, and shapes have shifted. The demands of modern materials distort the original architecture's beauty, freezing the function of many details into meaningless artifice and ignoring the wisdom of "form follows function." The result is concrete boxes with gingerbread "Bhutanese" icing, with no consideration for the elements—hot in the summer, cold in the winter.

The young are moving from the villages in droves, creating demand for urban housing. Bhutan's first attempts at urban planning are end-to-end faux Bhutanese concrete buildings, tight right-angled grids with no provisions for sidewalks, trees, planters, gardens, or much else that is close to the Bhutanese heart. The elegance expressed in Bhutan's dzongs and villages can undoubtedly be achieved with modern materials. However, a Bhutanese façade over an Indo-Western form is not the way.

From BHUTAN: Hidden Lands of Happiness, by John Wehrheim (Serindia 2011)

PHOTO PRINTS
Prints are on Hahnemuhle heavyweight (315 gsm) 100% archival cotton “Photo Rag Baryta” paper, using archival inks and archival spray coating. They have a 200-year life expectancy before any deterioration of the print will be observed when stored, handled, and displayed under archival conditions.

CANVAS PRINTS
What is often called “Gallery Wrap Canvas” is a fine art inkjet (Giclee) print on canvas, with printed edges to wrap around a wooden stretcher frame, like a painting. With canvas prints, your print image is still the same size, but given a "wrap effect" around the edges to account for the thickness of the stretcher. Canvas can be rolled and shipped with no effect to the print. Your local framing shop should be able to mount the canvas to stretchers at a fraction of the cost of traditional framing, making for an overall more economical way to get fine art on your wall. The canvas is printed to wrap around a 1-inch stretcher (1.5 inches on larger sizes). Specifications will be provided with your order. Feel free to contact us if you need guidance with your canvas order.

John prints, titles, dates, and signs all of his photos.

CUSTOM ORDERS: For custom orders of prints shipped flat, framed, or as stretched canvas, contact [email protected].

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SKU: 90332424428

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4.8 ★★★★★
Based on 14 reviews
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Overseas Mom
San Leandro, US
★★★★★ 5
Clever, Refreshing, Enchanting!
Overall Review: Ella Enchanted is one of my favorite fairy tale retellings of all time. It's a perfect fantasy: A `damsel in distress', a prince, an indifferent parent, fairies (including a fairy godmother!), man-eating ogres, future-telling gnomes, fun-loving giants, talented elves, an evil step-mother (of course!!), evil and greedy stepsisters... Put all those characters together and add some spur of the moment travels, finishing school, a few balls, and, above all, a curse, and you have a recipe for something unforgettable! The writing for this novel is accessible to any age. From young children to adults, everyone can find something to love. The characters are individuals with such sparkle! Ella's gift with languages is uncanny and so much fun as she converses with the different species she meets along her way to find the fairy Lucinda and, hopefully, break her curse! The stepsisters are not just nasty--they have personality, even if those personalities are cunning and evil...and a bit daft. There are wonderful moments of humor--as Ella tries to find new ways to thwart the commands she is given, but especially when a wig is stolen! The relationship between Ella and Prince Char is so sweet--from her desire to make him laugh, to the exchanging of letters while he is away in Ayortha, to their final encounter, it's enough to make you sigh with pleasure. Ella Enchanted is a timeless Gem! Overall rating is 5 out of 5 stars! Content Review: PROFANITY: NONE VIOLENCE: A few mild instances SEXUAL CONTENT: NONE MATURE THEMES: Mild RECOMMENDED AGE GROUP: 9+ There is no profanity or sexual content (there is a strain of romance throughout, and two characters kiss, but it is very sweet). The violence centers around the ogres, mostly. They eat living creatures. A horse is eaten. A character is caught by ogres and they talk about which parts they're going to eat (the character is not eaten). Ogres chase down a carriage so they can eat the people inside (again, they're not eaten). Ogres try to eat a human and a gnome. One character dies because of illness. A character always thinks of the worst things that could happen because of a curse (many of them involve death and sadness). Some characters are very cruel to another character (making them become a servant and forcing them to work extremely hard). A few of the themes are overcoming curses (obstacles/difficulties), loss of loved ones, and dealing with difficult people/life situations. I read this book aloud to my children and they loved every minute! Ella Enchanted is a Squeaky Clean Read for ages 9+! This review was written by Emily A Squeaky Clean Reads Book Reviewer To see more fantastic books reviewed with content in mind, visit us at squeakycleanreads.com!
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Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2011
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R.L.
Massapequa, US
★★★★★ 5
Absolutely Delightful and an Old Friend
Format: Kindle
I’ve always loved Cinderella stories; ever since I was a little girl. I’d never heard of this book until the movie came out when I was in college. I decided to buy the movie as I had liked Anne Hathaway in Princess Diaries. The first time I watched it was with my cousin who was actually teaching the book in her middle school class and was very curious about the movie. At first I really like the movie. My cousin assured me that the book was better but that’s usually the case so I didn’t pay too much attention. Finally I checked the book out of the library. I began to read and was hooked from the beginning. I knew just a few pages in that Ella Enchanted (the book) and I were going to be great friends, in other words, I knew I’d be reading it over and over again. I went out and bought my own copy before I even finished reading the library’s copy. I still have that book now about 17 years later and have read it many times. Because of declining health I’ve had to recently start reading my books on Kindle. I don’t have the strength to hold up an actual book. Today, I bought a Kindle version of Ella Enchanted so I can have my old friend back. After I’d read the book, I realized how much the movie had destroyed the story. I ended trading it in at some store that did trades for the DVD of Spider Man. They added a ruthless, super-villain in the movie when she already had a stepmother and stepsisters who were willing to order her about. Her father as I recall was simply absent. He’d left instructions for his new wife to treat his daughter as she would her own which she thoroughly ignored, but, in the end it was Ella’s own strength that sets her free, which I think is something very important for young girls to learn to be strong in their own right. I’m looking forward to catching up with an old friend again.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2022
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NewGenesis
Phoenix, US
★★★★★ 4
Good But Could Be Better
Format: Paperback
First, the good things about this book: I picked up the book after seeing the movie only to find that they were somewhat different, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. To start off, I loved the idea of having Ella being cursed to obey every command. It was the question I asked the first time I read the fairytale, "Why did she always do what her stepmother said?" And that question was thoroughly answered in this novel. I liked the character of Ella and her rebellious spirit. Levine definitely presented to us a new and different take on Cinderella, one much more spirited than the ridiculously innocent and proper Cinderella we are accustomed to. I especially liked her bravery, a surprising characteristic in the female protagonist of a romance novel, and how she was able to save herself from danger instead having prince Charmont save her. Speaking of the prince, I'm surprised to say I liked him in spite of hating practically all other "re-invented" versions of Prince Charming in every other princess story. Charmont was charming without being brash or flirtatious; he was honest, steady, and true to his word, without being a cliched knight in shining armor. I enjoyed watching the blooming friendship and eventually romance between Char and Ella; the character development was more than I expected and added depth to the story. I also rather enjoyed the "villians" of the story in the forms of Olga, Ella's father Sir Peter, Hattie, and Olive. Though they are easy to hate in the traditional fairy tale, they are even more despicable in the book. SPOILER ALERT AHEAD. One of the things I liked most about this book was that Lucinda, Ella's fairy godmother, got a taste of her own medicine, which I feel the book needed (though this was not included in the movie). However, one thing I felt the book needed towards the end of the story was an assassination plot to kill Prince Char. After Char proposes, Ella feels she can't marry him because someone would use her to kill him or some how ruin the kingdom. At the time there doesn't seem to be any such danger present, considering her step-family adores him and the entire kingdom loves him. I felt a plot to kill the prince, such as in the movie, would be the perfect danger to round out the last third of the novel and add some excitement and a legitimate reason for Ella to lie to Char about her feelings. The only other thing that really bothered me was the mention of Angulen's pottery. It is stated that his works are very valuable and of much importance, and the novel puts much influence on them, yet they have absolutely nothing to do with the plot in any way. Overall, it is a good book for those within it's target demographic. With a fiery Cinderella and prince who actually is charming, I feel this is a good retelling of the classic Cinderella story.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2012
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Reading Rainbow Trout
Carnegie, US
★★★★★ 5
Better than the movie
Format: Kindle
I really loved this book. The Disney movie was clearly only very loosely based on this wonderful story. I’m actually kinda mad I ever saw the movie because it kept me from the book for so long.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2025
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Kikyo C.
Carnegie, US
★★★★★ 5
A fairytale classic made even better!
Format: Paperback
Embellishing on the original tale of Cinderella, Gail Levine has written an imaginative and touching story - a classic in its own right. While the traditional fairytale focuses on the magical rags-to-riches transformation of a scullery maid into a princess, Levine's heroine is very real in both her defeats and her triumphs. Ella is a wonderful character whose unwavering sense of humor and refusal to succumb make her an endearing heroine whom the reader eagerly follows through her journeys. The friendship that she shares with Prince Char, her struggles to break the curse placed on her at birth, the pain and the joy that she feels at each turn of events are drawn with a clarity and poignant charm that make this a unique story all its own. There is, of course, glass slippers, a ball, the pumpkin coach - but this story goes far beyond the original to become something more. It is not just about one magical night that makes a servant into a princess; it is about the life of a girl who is more than what she seems and has only to realize it for herself to make her wishes come true. Ella Enchanted is a wonderful story for readers of all ages, and there is an amazing depth to this tale that cannot help but make you think. Despite the omnipresent existence of magic and the whimsical creatures that include everything from gnomes and elves to giants and ogres, the focus of the story is very real. We are, each of us, a little bit like Ella - struggling to be who we are while everything around us tries to make us otherwise. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who loves fairytales and children's books - especially to anyone who loves the story of Cinderella.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2000

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