Elephant and Flower Painting from Thai Artist, "Elephant Thailand"

"I paint an elephant because it is the symbol of Thailand and it is a cute large animal and after only two months of making these paintings I received very good feedback from my friends in nearby shops, and also a better attention from customers.

"Ever since childhood I've loved to draw and craft over studying mathematics or science, so I decided to study fine arts in a vocational college when I finished the secondary school. However, I didn't study at a higher education level after I finished the Vocational Certificate because there wasn't an arts option at the college. So, I went to work as a saleswoman in a shopping mall because there were very few job opportunities in the arts field. I worked in sales for five years and I resigned because I wanted to work on something I loved more.

"I started my new career by taking clothes from Warorot market and paint different designs on them to add value to the products. Most clothes featured traditional Thai designs such as folk art, orchids, elephants, etc. Initially it went well but then their popularity began to decrease, so I painted T-shirts that were more affordable and could be worn on different occasions.

"When the Walking Street project was started in Chiang Mai I got an opportunity to sell my products and show my paintings. My work has appealed to many visitors because I create as many details as possible to make each piece wonderful.

"In 2002 I decided to rent a small space in the basement of the Night Bazaar building, in the gallery area thinking it would allow me to meet customers who appreciate art. I began to paint my Thai designs on T-shirts, pants, and plain clothe bags. My designs became appreciated by foreign customers too.

"When the economy began to suffer fewer tourists came and my sales went down. Many shops closed down and people were forced to change their careers. Sometimes customers would ask for high discounts and I was discouraged because not only was my profit going to be less, but I also had a fixed rent to pay.

"However, the creative instinct is still in me and I decided to paint my elephant series various canvas sizes with an affordable price for home decoration. I use the elaborate line drawing techniques to create the interesting surface of the products.

"I was encouraged to work with Novica after receiving advice from Chirada and Sumalee (both Novica featured artists). I hope that people from all over the world will see my work and take an interest in it, so that I may continue to be motivated to continue creating the works of art that I love. Thank you very much."