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Suppharat

"Sawasdee kha! My name is Suppharat Ratcharin. I was born on October 1, 1976 in northeast Thailand, the youngest of three children. My parents were farmers and I grew up in a rural environment close to nature. Our lives were basic, easy and simple. My parents told me that when I knew what I would love to do, I should then follow my heart and they would be there to support me all the way. But I did not know what I wanted to do until I graduated from high school. I then chose to study at an art college because it was not commercial. I thought art was more suitable for me than commerce. But then it turned out that art was not only suitable, it was a real passion that gradually developed over the following years. Finally, I enrolled in the university School of Fine Art, where I studied for five years.

"After graduation, I taught art but quickly resigned because I did not feel free and could not understand the working system at the time. I also disliked rules, and theirs were too strict. Later I befriended some people with whom I cycled through China, Laos and Cambodia. It was an experience that greatly inspired my life and my artistic style. When I came back to Thailand I began to create art and to teach art at the university level. Now I am so happy to do things, no matter whether it is painting or teaching. I also love to live in this area because the land is great, the air is fresh and the environment is good.

"Have you ever suffered or felt lonely? And how did you manage then? When I suffer or feel lonely, I go and observe flowers. I ask them questions about their soft petals, their beautiful colors. Whether they are apprehensive when they meet with a cruel storm or cold when falling rain wets them, or if they feel lonely in the darkness of the night. And they truly answer me, whispering with quiet breathing. They do not fear storms and winds because they just sway harmoniously with their whims – they rejoice in their disadvantages and seize every occasion to fully live and to learn from their natural environment. They are not cold when it rains because they enjoy the little friendly droplets that wash dust and dirt to make them clean, keep their color bright and their being beautiful. They do not feel lonely at night because they take that chance to be silent, careful and relaxed, and because each night is the promise of bathing in the morning sun. On any day in any occasion they face – rain, sunlight or storms – they do not fear, they do not quail, but live happily to the fullest. Now I understand how they live life on earth. I have also found total happiness for myself."

Suppharat has exhibited her work extensively throughout Thailand and once in Malaysia.