Lanna is a traditional Thai wood carving method which involves intricately detailed and takes years to perfect. This art is practised by expertly trained wood craftsmen. Many of the craftsmen practising the Lanna method have the skills passed down to them from previous generations before them, their fathers and grandfathers.

Chiangmai, in northern Thailand’s hilly countryside, was once known as the Kingdom of Lanna for its teak forests. Teak is the hardest of woods, durable and strong enough to use for boats and sailing ships. Yet, it is also able to be carved into the thinness of a leaf for decorative purposes.

Chiangmai grew into a thriving industrial area producing decorative works in mass quantities. But this is where the Lanna method was born, as this area was the workbench of the nation.

In the nearby area of Baan Tawai, reside smaller workshops and craftsmen who do unique work in the Lanna trade using their own hand-crafted tools to produce stunning artwork. A three-metre-high the statue of Buddha, made from European oak, graces the Thai Sala area in Munich, Germany. This is the work of a very gifted craftsman in Thai wood carving from this small area in Thailand.