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Natthaporn

"Buddhism is Thailand's national religion and I follow Buddha's doctrine. So my printmaking represents the lotus, the flower we use for worship. My inspiration comes from my loved ones and my environment. I learned the printmaking technique from my teacher, but am perfecting it through experience. I like the colors in my work – each color expresses a different emotion. Even though I might make a series of ten prints, each one gives a different feeling, as the color tones are different.

"My name is Natthaporn Khammek. 'Natthaporn' means 'the divine philosopher.' But you can call me Ying, which means 'a girl' or 'a woman.' I am the oldest of three children, born on March 23, 1980 in Lampang Province. My father and my husband are both artists. My father was a Thai painter who worked in acrylics. Before that, he crafted ceramics. My mother always supported our art.

"Before I studied at a vocational college, I moved to Muang district with my father. Although I dreamed of studying a commercial career, I had already learned about art. That was the great change in my life. I received a vocational certificate in fine art, then studied printmaking for my bachelor's degree.

"I decided to live in Chiang Mai to look after my family's ceramic work. After graduating, I also worked in silkscreen for three or four months until opening my own art shop. At that time, I was free in the afternoon, so I studied until receiving a professional teaching certificate. I loved the idea of being a teacher.

"Today I am married and my husband is an artist, too. We always support each other. Apart from my prints, I paint soldier dolls at home and also sell leather bags. Once I got an order for 100 bags, but my customer didn't like them and bought only 50. So I offered the leftover bags at our art shop and most of them sold in a day. One person may dislike my works but another may like them.

"I am grateful to my parents and respect them. And I have covered my younger brother's school fees.

"I'm afraid of height. Once I went to the top of Baiyoke Building in Bangkok because my husband received a prize there for his art work. What a challenge! I thought, 'It's too high. Could I go up there?' But I could, and we were able see all the scenery of Bangkok. I impressed myself by being brave enough to go to the top of the building."