Buddhist painting functioned primarily as a means of enhancing religious ritual and took two main forms – bas-relief murals and painted preaching cloths. Both featured images from the jataka (particularly the last one about Prince Vessantara), the Lao version of the Ramayana known as the pharak pharam and other themes, painted without perspective using simple lines and blocks of uniform colour, with no shadow or shading. Strict rules were followed regarding the depiction of the Buddha and other important figures.

Unlike the bas-reliefs carved in sandstone on the walls of Khmer temple complexes, Lao temple murals were painted directly onto dry stucco, making them extremely fragile and susceptible to flaking. As a result, those which do exist today have been restored many times, often using modern pigments. Despite this fact the quality of work is often superb; some excellent examples may be seen at Wat Sisakhet in Vientiane and at Wat Pa Heuk and Wat Siphouthabath in Luang Prabang.

Painted hanging cloths were generally made by painting scenes from the jataka or pharak pharam onto rough cotton sheets. These were displayed while monks were preaching.