Suporn Keawda was born and raised in Ubon Ratchathani in Ubon Ratchathani province. Structural patterns of various natural phenomena such as the structure of rippled water circles, sea waves, clouds is used to convey the connotative meaning in the artist’s work. Most of the designs presented in his work involve Thai patterns that are detailed images of small animals with different beautiful details that live in rivers and the sea, some created by his own imagination. Suporn was born and raised in Ubon Ratchathani in Ubon Ratchathani Province. There is a Festival at his hometown every year, where he would have the opportunity to become a sculptor for the event, thus learning more about Thai patterns along the way.

Background

While studying for a vocational school at Ubon Vocational College, Suporn did an internship where he studied and focused on Thai traditional patterns consistently, which led to his interest in patterns. “I graduated with a vocational certificate in the field of art at Ubon Ratchathani Vocational College and went to take the exam at Poh Chang at the vocational level of the National Arts Department. I couldn’t pay tuition fees, so I decided not to go and went back to study at Ubon Vocational College,” he recalls. Two years later, he decided to not continue his studies and started working directly to earn money. He traveled to Pattaya to apply to be an artist — “I walked to apply for jobs at various gallery shops in Pattaya. It appears that no shop would accept me because every shop had their regular artist. I said to myself that I couldn’t back out now. So I decided to draw portraits for tourists on the sidewalk by the sea or in the walking street in South Pattaya,” he tells.

He drew every day at night under the street lights, each day his paintings would range from 3,000 baht to 10,000 baht per day. If the customer liked it, they will give a hefty tip that day. His paintings started at 150 baht and took 15-20 minutes to draw, starting from 6pm until late night, or even occasional early mornings. A gallery owner came to find him sitting on the sidewalk painting, so they invited him to sit and paint at the shop with an offer of 500 baht per picture. “I agreed to draw at the shop during the day. At night I sat and painted on the sidewalk to draw for tourists and also create works in my spare time at the gallery. However, I got bored of the monotonous work that I do every day and decided to go back for a bachelor’s degree again”.

Suporn applied and got into Silpakorn University alone. “At that time, when I was studying, I had 30,000 baht in savings. I could study for 2 months. I had to go out to get a job in Pattaya. Get a job from the gallery there. I would leave with my trusty motorcycle from Bangkok to Pattaya on Friday evening”. After studying for four years, he chose to do a major in Thai art. His bachelor’s degree didn’t go the way he wanted — all types of painting, all techniques were completely blown up, there was no direction. “I had to hire drawings to bring money to spend on studying, so I studied for 6 years. Normally, a bachelor’s degree program at Silpakorn University would go on for 5 years. I’m a little special. There are 9 teachers. Studying in the room at that time was considered very worth the tuition fee,” he recounts. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree and he went to pursue a master’s degree. “On the first day of the semester, Ajarn Chalood, who was always soft-hearted, told me not to draw lotus leaves. So I went back to find a new inspiration to see the phenomenon of water ripple. I drew it out and sent Ajarn Phol, it turned out to be great. That piece I submitted to the Toshiba contest won the best prize,” he tells proudly. His friends in the industry would then call him “Wong Nam Pencil Khae”. It’s the technique that he uses first. Most of them say it’s Tempera oil paint, grey paint. I came to pencil, the strangest thing at that time, I got the 56th National Art Award 2010.

Awards

• 2010 Gold medal award for the 56th National Fine Arts Award
• 2010 Grand prize for 60th printing and sketching international competition

Solo Exhibitions

• 2020 “เพียร ศรัทธา ธรรม” Exhibition at Laiy Thong Hotel, Ubon Ratchathani
• 2017 Singapore Art Stage by Number One Gallery, Bangkok
• 2016 “Conscience” Exhibition at Number One Gallery, Bangkok =
• 2015 “หวนคืนถิ่นแผ่นดินแม่” Exhibition at Ubon Ratchathani Art Centre
• 2014 “ตามรู้” Exhibition at The Thai Art and restaurant, Lancaster, CA, USA
• 2014 “ธรรมชาติแห่งจิต” Exhibition at DOB Hualamphong Art Gallery
• 2013 “โพธิบัลลังก์” Exhibition at Pullman Hotel Silom, Bangkok
• 2012 “ห้วงแห่งการก่อเกิดและการเสื่อมสลาย” Exhibition at DOB Hualamphong Art Gallery

Exhibitions

• 2022 Thailand Digital Arts Festival 2022 exhibition
• 2021 Heaven exhibition at Pacific City Club, 28th floor
• 2020 Nude Exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Thai Art (MOCA)
• 2020 13th International Association of Visual Artists Exhibition of Thailand
• 2020 Group Exhibition, Queen Sirikit Art Gallery Her Majesty
• 2020 25th Anniversary Exhibition, 2 Decades of Thai Painters Group, Queen Sirikit Art Gallery
• 2019 “What is Thai art?” Exhibition
• 2019 LIGHT FOR LIFE Exhibition, California, USA
• 2018 Art Exhibition of Legend Kochasarn (MOCA BANGKOK)
• 2018 Manussanang Exhibition
• 2018 The 1st Heaven Exhibition “Heaven Sawan”
• 2013 Donated works of art auction To bring all the proceeds to fund the gold clad crown of Phra Maha Bodhi Chedi, Bodhgaya, City of Gaya, Bihar State, India.
• 2013 Participated in the 27th Asian International Contemporary Art Exhibition
• 2013 Participated in 36 years of Thai art exhibition
• 2012 Brought the works to participate in the auction of the Thai Artists Unite to Rehabilitate Ancient Sites project by the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture
• 2012 Participated in Thai art exhibition From generation to generation by 36 artists at PSG Art Gallery
• 2012 Participated in the 1st White Elephant Art Exhibition
• 2011 Participated in the 33rd Bua Luang Painting Exhibition
• 2011 Participated in the painting exhibition in honor of His Majesty the King on the auspicious occasion of the 7th Cycle Cycle 84th Cycle Birthday Anniversary of the Thammaracha Prachathipattri
• 2011 Participated in the painting exhibition in honor of His Majesty the King “Win the Golden Brush Award” on the auspicious occasion of His Majesty the King’s 84th birthday
• 2011 Participated in youth camp exhibitions
• 2011 Create contemporary artworks at the King’s Gallery Her Majesty Queen Sirikit
• 2011 Selected to participate in the exhibition View and performing arts in the United States by the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture
• 2011 Exhibited in Los Angeles Thai Consulate Building, Los Angeles, USA
• 2011 Joined as a speaker “Sanjai Rak Art Project in the Southern Lands at Songkhla
• 2011 Joined the project Thai artist (Lanna) pours generosity to help flood disaster by PBS TV
• 2010 Exhibit Thai artworks at Panisa Gallery, Chiang Mai Province
• 2010 Art Exhibition Thai Spiritual Image Hua Hin
• 2008 Participated in the 10th Panasonic Contemporary Painting Exhibition
• 2008 Participated in the 30th Bualuang Painting Exhibition
• 2007 Participated in the 29th Bua Luang Painting Exhibition
• 2007 Join the 7th Stucco Art of Thailand
• 2007 Participated in the art exhibition “Mong Sing Phan Sing” by Boon Rawd River Co., Ltd.
• 2006 Participated in the exhibition of Thai embroidered fabric prototypes
• 2006 Participated in the 6th Thailand Stucco Art Exhibition
• 2006 Participated in the 23rd Contemporary Art Exhibition of Young Artists
• 2005 Performances by students of the Faculty of Painting, Department of Thai Arts Silpakorn University
• 2005 Participated in the 5th Thailand Stucco Art Exhibition