Painting at Baan Sillipin

You won’t believe it but I am going to Art Lessons here in Thailand.

I had read about an art exhibition of Impressionist Paintings and Watercolour in the local paper.

By the time I got around to visiting it the actual exhibition was over,but one morning a friend and I drove over to see what the small Art Gallery where it had been held looked like.

Six Kilometers over a pot holed road full of gravel on the back of a motor bike wasn’t really fun,but the lovely woods and hillside overlooking the sea made up for it.

We eventually came to Baan Sillipin,which actually means Painter’s House in Thai.

It was idyllic.

Set back from the road, a large old traditionally built Teak house greeted us.

It stood alone in the wood ,surrounded by tall tropical trees,their hanging branches and liana giving shade and a feeling of tranquility. Orchids of various hues had been planted in baskets hanging from the tree trunks and on the pond a couple of ducks swam contentedly.

We spent a while looking at the paintings in the gallery. Many very vivid with Buddhist motives,others paintings of western scenes looking somehow out of place here.

My friend being naturally more inquisitive than I am, wondered what was down the wooden staircase leading round the back of the building. We went down and found a large hut,of which the openings for windows and door were covered with mosquito mesh so we could see quite clearly there were people in there painting.

“Lets go in” he said

“No we can’t do that” I answered,knowing how painters don’t like to be disturbed.

In we went.

And that’s how I found Nang,my Art Teacher.A wonderful lady who is teaching me to paint in Watercolour Thai style.

It’s a different technique to the wet in wet method that I had got used to. It’s very bold for water colour,and in the beginning I was a bit sceptical,but it seems to work,especially here.

Last week I finished my first painting at Nang’s,and if I do say it myself I think it’s brilliant.

Dipping a Brush in Water

I still try to paint.

Watercolour.

I don’t practice enough and I don’t let the creative side of me, if there is one, get the upper hand but slog along trying to copy others, whether books or teacher.

By chance a colleague of my husband visited us just as I was returning from art classes last month and I was forced to show him my work.

I don’t like showing people what I paint,I suppose I am a bit ashamed of it.

The colleague studied Art in Munich,although making a career in another field he still dabbles with paint and has had several successful exhibitions.

Mmm.

He told me to throw away all my small paintbrushes-did he realise they cost me the earth,-and buy the largest block of rough watercolour paper I could find.

He told my husband he thought I had talent.

A week later he came over again and brought me a Da Vinci brush, size 24, Jumbo, and a 50 page block of Torchon paper 36x48cm.

I don’t know what it was,the praise,the brush,or the paper.Maybe a combination of all three,but at last I am seeing results and feel that what I am now painting might be good enough to hang on a wall sometime.

I would like to pass on his advice to all other struggling and exasperated watercolour beginners.