Ever since she could remember, Unchalika Kaewjan was fascinated by the art of drawing. “I saw art in my everyday life and manifested it — it was something I learned in life,” She recounts. The artist went on to study art in her higher education, which felt like the missing puzzle piece to her. To this day, she sees the beauty in all living beings. “Today, I have recognised the beauty of living beings and have found one truth: that all living beings struggle in their own way, causing movement, fighting, and transitions. Even though I can’t see it with my own eyes, it has inspired me to create works that resemble that split second,” She explains her art thoroughly.

Background

Kaewjan graduated Silpakorn University with a bachelor’s degree in painting, sculpture and graphic arts. During her studies, her tutor suggested for her to blur some parts of her work — this is done with water to add dimension and depth. She found serendipity within her result; the artwork became a pleasant surprise as some parts were intentional while some remain accidental. The dilemma comes with the undocumented progress, many questions start to arise. How much water did she put in? How rough should it go on? What should be done to achieve this specific smudge? The answer to this is unavailable because it’s never the same. Having variables she can’t control enables her to freely explore the realms of this technique, but the clear picture in her head still sets her on a role to achieve the image in her head. Her proceeds have failed her many times before, but with failure comes greater achievement. Some of the results that stray away from the initial goal actually somehow turned out better than the original idea, this then shaped the artist’s mindset and summoned more free-spirited expectations. This discovery was one of Kaewjan’s starting points as an artist. The unexpected surprise that comes from her art tells us all a narrative that finishes the story on its own.

Concept

Ever since her university years, Kaewjan has always been an artist who had difficulties with colour. Her tutor advised her that she should focus on other areas and recommended her to try black and white painting as a solution. With this proposed, she then found the technique she can stick to and that will help convey her most inner emotions. “When I went to Japan and viewed an art exhibition that showcased animal artworks for knowledge and inspiration. From this display, I became very invested in animals and picked up on its different details to slowly build my own personal take of animals through art,” She recalls. “The concept of my art lies within the motion of the animals and its natural movements. I find that the beauty of animals lies within the nature of their movement and behaviour. It presents such a candid take on the subject matter,” Kaewjan explains her concept. When asked about her obsession with monkeys, she confirms her liking towards them — something she picked up from the art gallery in Japan as well. “My intention isn’t to copy or mock them, I am just simply fascinated by their manoeuvring,” she explains. 

Technique

The technique that the artist uses is powder paint. This type of colour was chosen because it well reflects the emotion that she aims to communicate. The appearance of the colour is opaque and pigmented, making them matte once layered. “I actually used to use oil paint as well, but the problem was that it dries down too slowly and the smell is too strong,” Kaewjan adds. As for the foundation, a chemical glue is mixed with white powder paint as it works better on smooth surfaces. The foundation layer is then a very important part of the work. “I chose to use a half-ancient technique, which is powder paint. Traditionally, setting the foundation with white clay and tamarind isn’t that effective. I found that using modern art equipment works a lot better and produces the same results,” The artist shares. 

As for staining and using water to do so, the artist feels that this communicates fluttering emotions. During this process, she is still figuring out how to maximize its effectiveness but one of the main points is self discovery. After, she would be left with a monotonous piece of artwork, which she would normally modify by adding a pop of colour to some spots. This is an add-on to the process in which she finds elevates her work even more. The inspiration behind this stems again from the Japanese gallery she attended; this is how she built the charm in her artwork. With these influences, she adds only a few colours that are suitable and would fit with the tone of the painting — doing so adds a glimpse of light to the monotone shades and creates contrast without having to accentuate any sketches. This makes her pieces intentionally unrefined, which strays away from the typical conventions of Thai fine art, immediately putting her works under a category that may feel more modern.

Exhibitions

• N72 art thesis exhibition by bachelor’s degree students of the faculty of painting, sculpture, and graphic arts, academic year 2019 at H.R.H Princess Sirindhorn art gallery, faculty of painting, sculpture and graphic arts, Silpakorn University, Sanamchandhra Palace campus

Awards

• 2016 รางวัลยอดเยี่ยม การประกวดศิลปกรรม
• 2016 ยุวพัฒน์ ครั้งที่ 23
• 2017 รางวัลรองชนะเลิศ ประกวดวาดภาพศิลปะเด็กและเยาวชน สันติประชาธรรม
• 2018 Second Prize,Drawing and Paintings category for young adults,PMAC2018 World art contest
• 2019 Winner Award, Thailand Young Artists: Our country, our future2019, Word Bank Group
• 2020 Third Prize Drawing and Paintings category for18-25years old, PMAC2018 World art contest