From a kid to an ambitious artist, everyday goes by with the rural principle of living. “I lived where the people are so generous and harmonious, the elements of being in the countryside doing the agriculture”, Said Attapon, the energetic artist from Nakhon Sawan.

Background

Nakhon Sawan is a gateway between the central and northern regions of Thailand. It is also known as “Pak Nam Pho”, where the rivers of Ping, Wang, Yom, and Nan converge and form the Chao Phraya River, the most important waterway of Thailand. Certainly, the hometown of Attapon is one of the largest areas to do agriculture like farming for a living.

“Since I was a kid, I lived like this. My life is a good example of countryside life. We live in a big family, depend on nature and each other, do farming, do gardening, do animal husbandry. Along with the well-being of a loving and harmonious family, the villagers in rural areas live in the midst of nature and are proficient in nature.” He narrated his life in Nakhon Sawan briefly.

“The rural way of life that is the experience of me, the life from childhood to the present are related to the living conditions that are simple enough to eat, familiar with and rely on nature in the profession. And that has been passed down from the past to the present,” He continues.
Attapon’s education was initially started in Nakhon Sawan too, Attending Satri Nakhon Sawan school, the official school of the province.
“I have closely perceived the atmosphere of rural life so much, so I thought I had something to do with it, to express it. Every place has its own uniqueness, so does my hometown. I love my community, my green and peaceful scenery of life,” The simple yet energetic beginning of his career started then in his high school.

Like other art students in town, He continued his art journey by entering the oldest such dedicated art institution in the country, Poh-Chang Academy of Arts, Rajamangala University of Technology Rattanakosin. It was founded as the Poh-Chang School (also translated as the Arts and Crafts School) by King Vajiravudh in 1913, with the aim of establishing formal education of the traditional Thai fine arts and crafts.
Emphasizing on traditional Thai art is obviously the best way to convey his delighted life onto a canvas. Attapon continued his knowledge there with ambition.

Attapon and his friends at Poh-Chang Academy of Arts
He painted and crafted his experiences freely there four years straight. “The elements in my art always somehow consist of Thai elements in some way.” Attapon told.

Attapon with his 2019 work, Mural paintings inside the Phutthaisawan Throne Hall.

With strong passion in Thai art, Attapon is in the rising stage of his career, and he will never stop. The latest exhibition he attended was ‘KHON – TAI – THAM’ at Bangkok Art and Culture Center.

Through these paintings, Attapon blasted the picturesque moments of his rural life perfectly. Nostalgia lives rent free in his artwork as always due to the mind full of memories.

“The place I am from is exactly what you would think of when you hear the slang ‘Ban Nok’ (rural or rustic). But I embrace that value in a good way, because it has been shaping me for 24 years. And you can see it all in my art.”