Watchara Klakhakhai is a Thai artist whose paintings have been recognized, praised, and admired for the craftsmanship of the artist.

One of his paintings is called Sleeping Apsara (see above).

Apsara is a type of female spirit of the clouds and waters in Hindu and Buddhist culture.

It is a work with the concept that a woman is the most beautiful thing in the world. It is a drawing of the most beautiful woman according to the artist's ideal. This was a great time to interview an outstanding Thai Artist in the month of Valentine's Day.  

JY. Please tell me about theinspiration for your current work.

WK. I always say that women are the most beautiful things in the world. And I am working to serve beauty, especially the beauty that is born by women. Women are a key element starting from their appearance, skin, even their hands, fingers, and nails, and also the clothes used in makeup. All of the above are inspirational.

I gave my heart to create a work that is as exquisite as has been ever seen. The real starting point of my portrayal of women started with me going to see a puppet show, Joe Louis and my siblings to be the subject of a group show at that time. During the time I watched the performance of the Joe Louis Small Puppet Company, I myself returned with the impression that the puppeteer was more than the puppet. Maybe it is because the puppeteer can send his emotions into the puppet in such a delicate and beautiful way. So I captured this feeling by focusing on people rather than puppets. That was the first step in drawing a person that conveys the emotions of my work.

At that time this picture was bought by Mr. Boonchai Bencharongkul so I got to know Khun Boonchai for the first time. As a result, the dialogue about the beauty of women more and more stated, we started talking about her in literature such as Sita, Nang Benjakai from the story of the Ramayana, who has beautiful and magnificent clothing, to the women who wear nothing during that time, I had threesolo performances, the first time being portraits, favorite artists. The work in this series is an event that honors artists who have contributed to the art community in our home, and the second and third times are work on the beauty of both women. As a result of these two performances, it was like creating a picture for the general public that I drew pictures of women, both nude and dramatic. It received good feedback from collectors and the general public.

All of the above, especially those who have seen my work, will surely know that my paintings serve beauty. In particular, the beauty of women is the most beautiful picture. The aesthetics and attitude are almost all positive.

JY. Tell me about the important drawings you have made.

WK. One of the most important paintings that I have done and will be working on is a collection of works. All that I have been painting in the past 10 years and doing now, come to organize a solo exhibition and make a collection of beautiful books for this series, where I will select a specific work that is a female figure, about 40 pieces. But this is like a dream that I have always dreamed of in the past 3-4 years. The book that will be done and the work that will be exhibited, I think it will be useful to people, students who are interested in art Especially those who are interested in realistic work and people who like to paint portraits for sure.

JY. Please tell us about your history of the school, family, work done and experience gained.

WK. First of all, I have to say that I started drawing by wanting to draw without inspiration from anybody else. I say this because I started painting since I could remember. But what I first drew on paper was around Grade 1 - Grade 2, but if it was before then it was drawn on the ground along the front yard. Some people may realize that their houses in the provinces have a terraced field in front of each other for various activities, and I liked to sit and lay my left hand on the ground and draw my right hand on the ground. Along the edge of the left hand, when you raise your hand, you will see a picture of your hand, it is like searching for a simple drawing of my pattern, and in that case I did not have a prototype of drawing, because at that time I did not have electricity. Therefore no TV to watch, only the transistor radio, which only had novels, music, and news, but I also secretly wondered why I wanted to draw. And more than that, I wanted to draw only portraits.

If you try to draw a picture. the conclusion is, I think it is the nature of me to be born to draw people. I remember that the first picture painted on paper was one of the Senators of Chainat Province. There is a large poster image attached to the front pillar of the house.It is large and visible, thus creating inspiration for wanting to draw. After that, I kept drawing pictures of my grandparents who would take the pictures and hang them on the walls of the house. But finally, I discovered the most inspirational picture, King Rama IX, which has a double hanging frame with the Queen. The feeling at that time was spectacular

The highest point was probably when I was in Grade 6. The school organized an excursion to Pattaya to allow rural children to play in the sea. As soon as I arrived in Pattaya, the car was parked on the roadside, but the first picture I saw was not the sea, but the painting shops that were lined up next to each other. That was the first time in my life that I realized that in this world there were professional paintings for sale. I was the only one who asked the teacher to stand and I watched him draw a picture in exchange for not going to play in the sea with my friends, I remember I stood and watched for about two hours. He was drawing a picture of a Western man with a golden mustache wearing a red polo shirt with white stripes. Believe it or not, the picture of that day, although 40 years ago, is still caught in my mind. I told myself that I would be a painter.

Then, when I finished secondary school from the district boarding school, I went to Nakhon Sawan Vocational College on the advice of the homeroom teacher and took systematic and serious drawing learning. From Nakhon Sawan, I came to study at Paochang in Bangkok. There, I met Panya Petchu, who taught me a lot about portraiture painting.

JY. What do you want to share knowledge with Thai society?

WK. I think society today is becoming very open to the field of art when compared to the past. Most of the parents at that time would not agree, some even forbid their children to study art, because they feared that the children who have graduated will not have a stable career, that they cannot support themselves and their families.

I would like to give this merit to Thawan Duchanee and Chalermchai Kositpipat, two great artists from Chiang Rai Province: Both of you like to open up the world of art in our home to people to get to know a wide area. In particular,  Chalermchai Kositpipat is like a presenter for the Thai art scene in this era. Chalermchai Kositpipat a Thai National Artist has made people see the potential of artists that they can do with the dignity of any profession in this era until the people are respected as a whole. We can see that now there are more and more children learning art because parents have started to encourage more children to study in this field. When there is a lot of product output, there will be more options for consumers and collectors. But there is one thing that has not yet happened seriously no matter what age, system, or age: systematic support from the government. Let us fight for this all the time. There will be a lot of private sectors to support, but not enough compared to countries where they are developed such as Singapore, Indonesia, China, South Korea, Japan, etc. Someday, our home may develop and develop arts like other places.

JY. Tell me what kinds of things have benefited society

WK. For me, talent has to benefit others and society, not just for the artists themselves. Therefore, I have always intended that if there is an opportunity to do something in return for society or merit to the land I am ready and willing to do my best. I was most proud of the time when I participated in drawing illustrations inside the Songtham Throne Hall during the cremation ceremony of King Rama IX at that time, as a reward to him. Another thing that has been done for four consecutive years is providing scholarships to students The reason I chose to do this was because I had already passed this point when I came to study in Bangkok. The hardships and poverty of the provincial children who were faced with a life alone are the living expenses, the room rental, the equipment, so money. It is very necessary to help them lead a more flexible life.

Watchara Klakhakhai
b. 1 Nov 1967, Chainat Province Thailand
Education - Pohchang Academy of Arts.

Honors

2001- Involved in the exhibition of "Jo-Louis Thai Puppet Show" in the Year 2002.

2002 - Involved in the exhibition of 50th Anniversary Celebrations of His Majesty's Accession to the Throne" organized by Kasikorn Bank.

2003 - Power of Faith

2006- Artist's face

2007- Painting in honor of His Majesty the King 80 years.Involved in the exhibition of "60th Anniversary Celebrations of His Majesty's

2007- Solo performance "Favorite artist"

2008 - Nude

2008- Fine arts, history and work of Her Royal Highness Princess Prince Galyani Vadhana Krom Luang Narathiwat Ratchanakarin

2009- Solo performance "Beauty as an angel, Nang Sawan"

2009-Thai Spiritual Image 2

2011- Artist, draw, artist

2011- The Art of Faith Lanna - Sipsongpanna

2012- 1st White Elephant Art

2012- Mekong River Art Exchange Project: Thailand-China to the Asian Community

2012-Exhibition Painting unites with two Thai kings

2013 - 2nd White Elephant Art

2013- Thai arts to the ASEAN community in Vietnam

2013- Single performance "Passion-Passion"

2013- From Lanna to Bodhgaya 2nd time

2013- Thai-Chinese arts and culture exchange at Guangxi College of Arts

2557-Double great for charity 1

2014- Annual Art Auction 2014 in Chiang Mai

2558- Double great for charity 2

2015-Thai Auction House 1

2016- Double great for charity 3