Macro

Ukrainian folk art hand painted utensil

I had hoped for distinctive red and gold Khokhloma, but this piece is nice.
It reminds me of the Pennsylvania Dutch Tole style designs.

Khokhloma is a distinctive Russian folk art named after the village at the center of trade for wooden dish ware and wood crafts during the middle of the 17th century. At that time Khokhloma was a large village where artists and craftsmen from the surrounding region brought their wares to sell and trade to merchants from all over Russia. The main line of goods being traded was painted wooden dish ware, and as this trade continued over the years, people began referring to this dish ware simply as Khokhloma.
When the Khokhloma craftsmen recognized increasing competition from ceramic and metal dish ware and began to produce more elaborate, highly decorated items. The market for Khokhloma items was expanded in 1889 when the local guild exhibited its wares at the World Fair in Paris. New export opportunities developed with trade to countries such as England, France and Germany and reaching as far away as India and Australia.
The process for producing the richly decorative Khokhloma items has changed little over the centuries and begins with the collection of good quality Linden wood.
Each year Linden trees are selected, cut, and left to dry naturally. At the proper time the logs are cut to workable sizes and the pieces are set to cure for two years. When the wood is ready the Khokhloma craftsmen select their material paying attention to the straightness of the grain and avoiding wood with knots or obvious flaws. Highly skilled wood workers form most of the basic shapes for Khokhloma objects using a simple wood lathe. Some of these tools still being used today are very old, dating back to the time of Peter the Great.
After shaping the pieces are dried in a special kiln. Once dry, the wood blanks are given over to the hands of painters. To achieve the rich golden color characteristic of Khokhloma folk art the first step is to cover the wood with a thin layer of brown clay slip. The pieces are then dried again in the kilns. After drying they receive three applications of linseed oil. Drying in the kiln rooms is again required and takes about two days.
Next comes a coating of aluminum powder (tin was used in earlier times) that is applied to the entire surface of each wood blank. Finally the decorative painting is applied freehand to the object. No sketches or stencils are used making each piece a unique creation of the artist. The distinctive combination of red, black & gold is the foundation of traditional Khokhloma painting.
After painting, the objects are given coat of protective varnish that requires another trip to the kilns for proper hardening. It is at this point that the beauty and distinctive trademark of Khokhloma appears as the silvery areas of aluminum powder that have not been painted over turn magically to gold.
From start to finish, each piece of Khokhloma folk art takes at least 58 days to complete. Some of the more complex pieces can take up to four months to make.
These items are made to be used and are safe for serving food and beverages. It is recommended that dishes be washed by hand as the heat of a modern dishwasher may warp or crack the wood.