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Suphawat Hiranthanawiwat
It all began when I was 6, when my elementary school sent me to an art competition where I won first prize. My mother, who has always been a passionate artist and fashion designer, was excited by my prospect in art. After that event, she started training me with fierce tenacity. I remember the first skills she taught me was how to draw Thai temples and pagodas. Coincidentally, their architectural designs stemmed from the Sukhothai temples and pagodas that were merely a short walk away from my house. From that point on, up until my graduation, I had always been gifted the chance to represent my school on both a provincial and national level.
After have such an artistic childhood, I knew I wanted to pursue painting, but the idea was met with resistance from my mentors and family members. Following their advice, I went into architecture instead. To my dismay, I found that I didn’t like to design buildings using the fixed tools that allowed no freedom of movement. I liked drawing the buildings of my imagination much, much more. Fortunately, in 1996, Chulalongkorn University’s department of architecture started a program dedicated solely to Thai architecture. At that time, there was a drought of students who would dedicate themselves to learning Thai architecture, and the University was afraid the knowledge would die out. The only people who were still using this knowledge at the time were all old masters.
To be honest, I had no idea about how good I was in Thai architecture, being that I never had any formal education on the matter. I just knew that with Thai architecture, I would get the chance to study ancient Thai pattern designs and fine arts. I applied, along with 800 others, to the program where only 5 people would be accepted. In the end, I managed to make the cut, which resulted in a defining change in my life towards a bigger world and pushed me deep into this rich and ancient subject taught only by the nation’s greatest grandmasters.
I’ve been working as a professor of Thai architecture at Chulalongkorn University since 2005, continuing the practice and passing down the knowledge of Thai architecture down to my dedicated students. The works I make are a combination of my deep studies in Thai architecture and the ancient Thai arts. Even as a professor, I never stopped practicing fine arts. Practicing didn’t hinder my focus, in fact, it blended with my teachings in a beautiful way.
The techniques that I love are line art and watercolors. The beauty of watercolors comes from the fact that they dance freely like leaves blowing under a gentle breeze. They flow through the structural lines I create, precise in their historical proportion and angles. Watercolors do not hide the detailed and meticulous Thai line patterns, which give the audience a look into the preserved history of ancient Thai architecture. Because of this, the works that I create reflect the happiness of a soul that is freed and an entity that is bursting with power.
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