Medium: Oil on Canvas
Inspiration: I think that Thai culture and crafts are great—Thai puppets, too. In my sophomore year at Silpakorn, I took a Thai Studies course. That’s when I discovered the puppet room at the National Museum. I returned there with the feeling I had found my special subject of interest. The more I painted them, the deeper I became engaged in the art of puppetry. These puppets are very old. The oldest, if I remember correctly, is from 1873 and is in poor condition. I want to portray that special feeling I get when I’m in the puppet room. The first pieces I painted are ordinary portrayals of puppets, but later I added subtler elements. When you photograph puppets in a glass showcase, there are reflections in the glass. At first, I found that annoying and tried to find angles that wouldn’t produce the glares. But then I looked at these pictures with reflections and found them beautiful. This particular painting is the first one where I began to play with these reflections.
Technique: I drafted it with brown color and I kept many drafting lines. This style is my signature. I drew it from the photos I took in the room.
Reading the Picture: My works are easy to understand. They are straightforward because I only want to convey feelings, not messages. Some of my teachers, though, think these pieces have a deeper message. It’s up to the viewer’s interpretation.
