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Phattharaphon Thaphan

"My work can belong to everyone who can understand its deep meaning. It is not necessary to buy my works. You just look and think about what I really want to communicate through the painting. If you can understand and adapt it to your life, my works will always belong to you.

"My name is Phattharaphon Thaphan and I was born on January 19, 1975. We are an agricultural family and I have three brothers. I have loved the arts since I was young, as far back as I can remember. All my brothers love to sketch like I do; art makes us feel happy. So, when I finished high school I enrolled in the university School of Fine Arts. There I learned art theory and how to approach my own vision. When I work, I research what I want to paint. For example, if I want to paint about the Thai belief in ancestral spirits, I search for information to understand how most of people feel about it. And I use my own ideas in my paintings too.

"Almost all of my paintings spring from Buddhist philosophy and religious belief. And I also use the knowledge of science in my works. Everything I know comes together in my works. Some comes from brief impressions and some are a synthesis of my thoughts and imagination. For me, true art is the combination of skill and knowledge that hides in lines and colors.

"After I graduated from the university, I moved to many places in this country to work. From the north to the south and the capital, I was never satisfied. I decided to come back home and think about my future. In my hometown, a small village in a rural area, I found that the local crafts were disappearing because the villagers didn't have time for them. I am persuading people who have the skill to carve to continue carving Buddha figures. This work is our heritage. Some villagers said I should be ordained as a monk because, in the rural areas, the monk is a social leader. But I politely disagreed.

"I found out about Novica from my friend, Sorapong Seechompoo [a Novica featured artist.] He said this is the place of opportunity for presenting our ideas. I decided to work with them because I think this is the kind of gallery where millions of people can see my works. I am really happy if people are interested in my art and my ideas. This, I believe, is success in my life."