LIVING ARTIST STORY : Stephanie Roy
Elizabeth Romhild E
lizabeth Romhild was born in Denmark to a Danish mother and Armenian Iranian father. Growing up in Iran and spending her adult years in Saudi Arabia, America and Indonesia, Elizabeth began drawing from different cultural influences at a very early age. For nearly the last two decades, the self-taught artist has called Thailand home, as she continues to let her worldly experiences shine through her work. As she reinterprets and blurs modern European art genres with the mystique of the Orient, Elizabeth’s art blends western and eastern traditions. She has been painting with oil on canvas since 1985 and began sculpting in bronze along with painting in 2008. Her work has been called modern and figurative as she paints the sensuality of female forms in strong colours. Life is her biggest inspiration and being an artist lets her let the child lose inside of her.
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Title: ‘Dignity’ Size: 65 cm high Material: Bronze Year: 2008 Background: Dignity is the first sculpture the artist made and was inspired from her painting called ‘Dawn IV’.
Title: ‘Warrior I’ Size: 145 x 195 cm Technique: Oil on canvas Year: 2008 Background: Warrior I is about emotions and the Yin & Yang
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LIVING ARTIST
Title: ‘Our Prayers are Answered’ Size: 78 x 105 cm Technique: Acrylic on canvas Year: 2006
Jirapat
Tatsanasomboon
J
irapat’s passion for art started in his father’s small poster shop. As a child intrigued with the posters that
covered the shop’s walls, his love for artistic expression was born. After receiving his BA degree in Art from Chiang Mai University and MA from Silpakorn University, Jirapat entered his paintings in a national art competition and won. He’s been experiencing a steady stream of exhibitions ever since. The artist creates his works on canvas with topics based primarily on east-west interactions. Pop-art style is the distinctive element flowing through Jirapat’s subjects, which are famous super-heroes such as Spiderman and Batman interacting with characters from Ramayana. His inspirations include a popular children’s movie ‘Hanuman’ and other super heroes. He loves and enjoys the freedom of being an artist. As Jirapat dislikes the complications that living brings, he’d most likely be a monk if he were not an artist. Title: ‘Rawana the Playboy’ Size: 120 x 150 cm Technique: Acrylic on canvas Year: 2008
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LIVING ARTIST
Kyoko Abe O
riginally from Oita, Fukuoka Japan, Kyoko Abe discovered her love for painting and art at a young age as she created pieces anywhere and everywhere she could. After completing
her university degree, she worked in the advertising design field for quite some time. Kyoko moved to Thailand in 1996 and has worked as an artist and art teacher since. Over the years, she has held exhibitions in Thailand and Japan and was the recipient of a Kodansha gold medal for a children’s picture book, The Sun. Kyoko mainly works with acrylic painting and 3D creations. She explains that she’d like for her works to be consistently ‘Kyoko Originals’. Her emotions drive the theme of each particular piece as she adds her feelings and a hint of playfulness to each work. Nature, weather, and humans are just a few things that inspire the artist while the little changes in everyday life also play a part. Working with a theme on each creation and having people empathise with her during solo exhibitions is her favorite aspect of being an artist. She loves and enjoys that everything can be interpreted as art.
Title: ‘Floating Market’ Size: 100 x 120 cm Technique: Acrylic on canvas
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Title: ‘The House Surrounded by Greenery’ Size: 100 x 120 cm Technique: Acrylic on canvas
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LIVING ARTIST
Title: ‘Bangkok Station (1)’ Size: 160 x 240 cm Technique: Oil and acrylic on canvas Year: 2009
Therdkiat
Wangwatcharakul
T
herdkiat Wangwatcharakul graduated from Silpakorn University with a Master’s Degree in Painting in 2003. Known for
creating pieces by manipulating aluminum, he evokes the loneliness of the large metropolis by often highlighting urban landscapes. The artist garners attention to the subtle interplay and contrast between light and shadow, man made and nature. His staining techniques resemble the same metallic characteristics of his work on aluminum surfaces. Over the years, Therdkiat has participated in exhibitions in Thailand, Singapore, Japan, the Netherlands, Korea, Spain and USA. He was the recipient of the Juror’s Choice Prize in the ASEAN Art Awards in 2000.
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Title: ‘Forget Me Not (13.3)’ Size: 122 x 130 cm Technique: Oil on aluminum sheets Year: 2009
LIVING ARTIST
Pongsak
Khorpornprasert
A
fter graduating with a degree
furniture at a higher price, but also
in economics from Thammasat
found demand had increased as he
University and working for some
began to sell out. Through this process
time, Pongsak felt unsatisfied and began
he understood that some customers
looking for other options. His relative
are willing to pay more for the
invited him to open a shop in Chatuchak
individuality of his products, which
market where he decided to make a fresh
set him apart from the other sellers.
start and sell home furniture. Pongsak bought-in popular items to sell to shoppers,
After achieving higher profit, he
but found his furniture was too similar to
expanded the business. In six years
what the other stores were offering, and
Pongsak had four shops in Chatuchak
it created a price war.
market and one shop at Suanlum Night Plaza. This achievement also gave him
With dwindling profits Pongsak was
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the confidence to stop buying in the
concerned for his future business so
products, and to make them himself.
re-thought his strategy and began to
He designs and produces each item
adapt the furniture himself, making the
and enjoys the artistic side of his work,
items unique and in-turn increasing their
which is a stark contrast to his early
value. He was not only able to sell his
working days.
After discovering his calling as an artist, Pongsak came across a problem with his property in Bangkok, as the noise created by the machine caused neighbours to complain. He was forced to leave the area and so he made the decision to close all his stores in Bangkok and move back to his hometown Phuket, where he is the proud owner of Artmosphere. Artmosphere is a boutique gallery in Phuket that has been open since 2005, serving the luxury property market. ARTMOSPHERE, 19/23 Permsap Villa, Srisoonthorn Road, Thalang, Phuket Contact: +66(0)84 063 3600
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