Allo and Cotton - Tashi Lama

Mineral pigment and gold on cotton canvas 21cm x 21cm

Allo and Cotton is part of a 49 piece painting series by Himalayan Art Award recipient Tashi Lama.

This painting is part of a larger body of work exploring Nepal’s carpet weaving tradition through its botanical foundations. While wool often takes prominence in textile narratives, Tashi has turned his attention to the essential yet overlooked plants such as cotton, allo, and natural dye sources including indigo, madder, and turmeric, which form the structural and cultural backbone of the craft.

These plant paintings serve both as visual studies and as a way of reconnecting with Nepal’s ecological and textile heritage. Each plant carries its own story within the broader weaving tradition. Together, the series becomes a visual archive honouring the ecological knowledge and cultural memory embedded in Nepali carpet making.