Wattanapong Yothaitiang has lived in Chiang Mai, the city that he describes as a perfect blend between fertile nature and cultural richness. He is originally from Maha Sarakham province, Northeastern Thailand. He received his Bachelor’s degree majoring in visual art from Faculty of Fine Arts and Architecture, Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna.

In his first 10 years, his family moved to Phayao province. His passion toward art has been within him since a very young age and with his school teacher’s suggestion, he enrolled to Faculty of Fine Arts and Architecture in Vocational Certificate and Bachelor’s degree majoring in visual art at Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna.

Background

“By the time I was in High Vocational Certificate, I sold my artwork for the first time to a collector who went to my faculty following my professor’s suggestion”, explained the artist. He received a handful of pay as a student back in the year. His art works were sold continuously and that’s how he saw art as a potential career-path. Moreover, he received an opportunity from The Gerard Collection, Muang Chiang Mai according to his professor’s introduction that he could arrange an exhibition and make sales in the gallery space. The owner of the gallery was also impressed by the artist’s work and bought plenty of them. “How amazing to be able to do what I’m passionate about and still make a living”, added the artist.

Technique

Wattanapong has chosen oil on canvas as a technique to delivers his impression toward each breathtaking scenarios, especially what’s going on above the sky. “Looking up to the only sky, there’s an endlessly stories to be discovered: circulation of season, astronomy’s phenomenons, or even a shifting between day and night.”, said the artist. He captured both the scene and his own feeling to be interpret through art work. Moreover, he saw art working as a journaling of a life time’s memories. “It’s like collecting sensation and impression of circumstances then storytelling with the right medium, recreating what would remind you of what you had seen or experienced”, added Wattanapong.

Color of the Wind : The first of the series

“Color of the wind” is a painting series consisting of five decorative petite size art works. In this series, the artist chose each different color combination for certain timing of the sky. The idea behind this is simple but touching as it’s about the beauty out of the sky’s variation created by continuously wind blowing. Which depends on one’s imagination about what they would think of according to those settings. For the artist, sometimes the feelings bursting while an observation would reflect his inner thought at that moment.

Awards

• 2012 Honorable Mention Prize, The 1st White Elephant Art Award
• 2012 Excellent Prize, The 7th Cycle Birthday Anniversary Celebrations of Bhumibol Adulyadej
• 2012 Excellent Prize, The 84th Birthday Anniversary Celebrations of Bhumibol Adulyadej Painting
• 2013 Honorable Mention Prize, the 717th “Muang Chiang Mai” Art Award

Exhibitions

• 2006 The 7th Mini Printmaking Exhibition, Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna
• 2006 The 5th Tam Heat Toii Hoi Sala Muang Exhibition, The Chiang Mai University Art Museum
• 2006 The 60th Anniversary Celebrations of Bhumibol Adulyadej’s Accession Art Auction Exhibition, Vasu Hotel, Maha Sarakham province
• 2006 The Northeastern contemporary Art Exhibition, The 60th Anniversary Celebrations of Bhumibol Adulyadej’s Accession, gallery of Mahasarakham University
• 2007 The 6th Tam Heat Toii Hoi Sala Muang Exhibition, The Chiang Mai University Art Museum
• 2008 The 2nd “Lanna Heritage” Exhibition, Galleries Panisa
• 2011 The 84th Birthday Anniversary Celebrations of Bhumibol Adulyadej Art Painting Award
• 2015 Sarn Jai Sai Yai Silpagamma
• 2018 Sarn Jai Sai Yai Silpagamma
• 2020 “RECONNECTING” at La Luna Gallery, Chiang Mai

Solo Exhibition

• 2005 “Chiang Mai Sideviews” at Sala Mae Rim Four Seasons Resort Chiangmai