As part of the 2021 UOB Painting of the Year (Thailand) competition, artists were allowed to create paintings without restrictions in terms of imagination and ingenuity since there was no specific theme. The results were rewarding. The winner of UOB Painting of the Year (Thailand) in the established artist category, Vachira Kornthong, created a mixed media on canvas painting, Land Of Happiness, which depicts the hidden beauty and abundant happiness found in nature. Land Of Happiness stood out with its use of vibrant colours combined with a fabric applique technique. The message of nature conservation that the artwork implies also touched viewers.
In the Emerging Artist Category, 22-year-old Janejira Khodchawat, won the 2021 UOB Most Promising Artist of the Year (Thailand) award. Janejira's artwork, Standpoint No. 2, is fascinating with its clever use of dot stickers as a technique to project shapes and colours while conveying an underlying meaning of those stickers that were given to people to signify their body temperature screening approval.
Life spoke to two winners about the inspiration behind their winning art pieces.
The natural atmosphere around Vachira's house inspired him to create paintings. (Photos: UOB Thailand)
Vachira Kornthong
UOB Painting of the Year (Thailand) Award
Artwork: Land Of Happiness
Growing up in Ayutthaya, Vachira had always been close to nature and enjoyed spending time outdoors. On weekdays, Vachira is an art instructor at the College of Fine Arts. He was also a guest artist at the General Prem Tinsulanonda Statesman Foundation for which he drew landscape paintings and donated them to the foundation for auctions. Aside from working on his paintings, on weekends, he usually grows plants or takes care of his garden at his 3,200m² house. Due to his appreciation of living surrounded by a natural ecosystem, Vachira created Land Of Happiness.
"The beauty of the natural ecosystem has changed according to time and seasons. I have drawn landscapes for more than 20 years and can continually draw images of nature without feeling repetition since the natural lighting, the shape of clouds or the shape of trees never looks the same. Nature is my information source and my best teacher. I have much faith in nature," said Vachira.
Land Of Happiness by Vachira Kornthong.
Land Of Happiness, a semi-abstract, surrealist and fantasy painting, was created with acrylic and collage techniques. The detailed painting depicts various kinds of animals living together in a serene forest. The artist explained that his inspiration for working on this kind of painting came from national artist, Kamol Tassananchalee, who commented after seeing his landscape painting that he should not restrict himself to painting nature realistically but should create work from his inner inspiration.
"I decided to work on a semi-abstract piece because I also want to communicate with viewers who do not have an art background. I drew Land Of Happiness from my memory of nature and my own imagination. It was great fun. I did not think about composition or art theory. The image of the forest overlapped with images of animals. I aimed to blow the mind of the judges, so the message of the painting is related to society and images are rich in detail, explained Vachira.
"The painting conveys that nature is important. People should not neglect nature and should conserve the forests and environment. People can start from places close to them. They can grow plants or reduce using any materials that can cause pollution. My family does waste sorting and recycles products. At my house, birds, lizards, snakes and fish live together and I do not harm them," he said.
In addition to elaborate detail images, his fabric applique technique is unique. The fabric enhances the aesthetic images and blends into the painting technique seamlessly. Vachira said he used fabrics from sarongs and some were his mother's to imply warmth and happiness.
Vachira Kornthong, winner of UOB's Painting of the Year (Thailand) Award.
"Fabrics were bleached to deliver the feeling of nostalgia. Painting techniques cannot replace this kind of technique. However, after adding a collage in the painting, I added form, shadow and lighting, so the fabrics blended with the colour painting," explained the artist.
As the winner of the 2021 UOB Painting of the Year award, Vachira had to compete against the UOB Painting of the Year country winners from Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore for the 2021 UOB Southeast Asian Painting of the Year award. Even though he did not win the competition, he is still happy with what he is doing.
"I am an art lecturer who discovered the path that makes me happy. I can convey my messages into paintings that can sway or touch viewers. Most of my paintings are created from positive aspects since I prefer to see the beauty of things rather than the unpleasantness. The beauty of art can soothe people's minds and make them feel at peace and happy," Vachira said.
Janejira and her other collections. (Photo: Janejira Khodchawat)
Janejira Khodchawat
UOB Most Promising Artist of the Year (Thailand) award
Artwork: Standpoint No.2
Janejira, an art student at the Faculty of Painting Sculpture and Graphic Arts, Silpakorn University, came up with the idea of using dot stickers to create her artwork while she was watching a video on YouTube about patients in a hospital. She saw dot stickers attached to a pole that she thought looked beautiful textually. Janejira used colourful dot stickers to create Standpoint No.2, which is an image of people walking in the market.
"I intended to use a photo of an atmosphere in a market because it was a regular event before the Covid-19 pandemic. Currently, it is different. I used dot stickers because they signified a blessing. People who were fever-free received stickers after temperature screening before entering any public place. The stickers are like blessings that people do not have the coronavirus," explained Janejira.
While working on this winning piece, Janejira encountered several difficulties. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, her family business was forced to close and she has had to support them. During the delivery of her artwork, an accident caused the artwork frame to break. Hence, when she won the award, Janejira was surprised.
Janejira Khodchawat, winner of UOB's Most Promising Artist of the Year (Thailand) Award. (Photo: Janejira Khodchawat)
"I was thrilled to receive the award; this recognition gives me pride, motivation and confidence in pursuing my career in art. I am grateful to the person who fixed my frame, judges, my friends and my university instructors," said Janejira.
As an art student, Janejira is still figuring out her style. Before using dot stickers, she experimented with several ways, including dessert making and acting, to convey her messages. Although she has not found her own style yet, she is happy to explore more techniques in the future.
"Art has its charm and I love to work on it. I am grateful to my instructors who encouraged me to not limit myself to only painting. I am willing to experiment with any technique, so I will figure out what I am good at," said Janejira.
Standpoint No.2 by Janejira Khodchawat.
"2021 UOB Painting of the Year (Thailand) Winners' Showcase" runs at UOB Thailand's head office on Sathon Road until Jan 5, 2022. Then, the exhibition will be displayed at River City Bangkok from Jan 6 to Feb 28 and UOB Thailand's Phetkasem Building from March 1 to 31. To view the online exhibition, visit bit.ly/3pyP8wH.
