Cambodia Sketches

A country I have visited on several sketching tours is Cambodia. My group sketched at many different locations, and we saw many unique sights. There was brilliant colour everywhere, incredible food, and wonderful friendly people.  And it was also extremely hot and humid, but I loved every minute of it. 

The markets were an amazing experience, the hustle and bustle was intoxicating. Who doesn't love a market?  

So I am sharing with you some of the sketches I did while in Siem Reap. Once again, they bring back some wonderful memories.

Angkor Wat Temple

A visit to Siem Reap is not complete unless you visit the Angkor Wat Temple complex which is the largest religious monument in the world. There are over 1000 temples in the Angkor area, ranging from piles of brick rubble scattered through rice fields, temples that have been overgrown with tree roots, and the temples that have been so wonderfully restored.

Angkor Thom Temple

This temple is situated in the temple complex and is outstanding and unique due to the tree roots growing over the temple. Inside, there has also been some restoration. 

This is a sketch of the north gate into the ancient city of Angkor Thom.

This monk statue is within the grounds of the Preah Prohm Rath Buddhist Temple in Siem Reap and is painted in gold. I purchased some gold paint at an art shop in town and my sketch glows with vibrancy and iridescence. There are many monks living in this very large complex. 

Wat Preah Prom Rath Buddhist Temple

The gold tiles on the main building glittered in the brilliant sun and it was a very imposing and spectacular building. Monks could be seen casually strolling around the grounds going about their everyday lives.  This temple is one of the oldest in Siem Reap and was built around the Old Market in 1371 and has been renovated in recent years. Among the many buildings is a gallery hall of incredible paintings of Buddha and stories of his life.

Kampong Phluk Stilt village

This village was about 30 kms southwest of Siem Reap. This was a full day trip. The first part was a tuk tuk ride on a very rough, rutted dirt road before we came to the boats waiting in the river to take us to the village, which was not flooded at the time the group visited. We sketched from one of the house balconies and enjoyed an amazing lunch, which could not be more authentic. We were able to wander around and take in more sights in the village. This was an amazing experience.

Of course, a visit to Pub Street in Siem Reap is a must. It is very famous for its shops, cafes, restaurants and entertainment. Of an evening it just vibrates with noise, colour and excitement. This sketch was done from the verandah of a restaurant. Very civilised, enjoying a cool drink and having some lunch, while doing our sketches.