Ar Yaev Means Flowers
Opium Poppies, Tea Blossoms, Jasmine, coffee and more. Laos is is home to so many beautiful flower blossoms. Some imported as cash crops and some native species. In the mountain of Laos is a village of people known as the Akha. In Laos they say Dogmai or Dok but in the Akha language they say Ar Yaev. If you have read my previous articles you know that I have been attempting to help some of the students there with school supplies.
A local woman there has been helping me coordinate the delivery of supplies to the children also sends me flower blossom photographs. I love to paint flowers and one of the common themes in my art is Opium Blossoms. It is very helpful to my art to have these reference photos.
I have tried to pay her for her help in the past. And she has always refused. Often times when I gave her money she would then turn around and use that money to help other people. I finally got her to agree if I was able to sell her photographs would she accept that money? She said yes. Though wished to remain anonymous. She works full time for an NGO so it meant a lot to be able to give back to her for all the hard work she has done to help the kids receive their school supplies.
This spawned the creation of the Ar Yaev Collection. The first few pieces chosen because of their use in the culture here. Her most popular piece was the Opium Flower which sold 3 editions. In Total the collection has brought in about 40 tezos which at current market rates is around 100 USD. This is not a small sum of money in the mountains of Laos. Keep your eye out for the next mint if you would like to support this amateur photographers and humanitarians.
It may feel strange to some of you to see me minting Photographs on the blockchain instead of paintings. I learned photography back when I was 18 long before I ever picked up a paintbrush. While I am an amateur and when I learned it was with a film camera I have maintained the basic skill to take reference photos for my paintings. It was fun to try something new on the blockchain with my favorite subject matter flowers. It also felt empowering to help such a nice person.
Don’t forget to check out the collaboration Ar Yaev on OBJKT.Com