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For a long time, it was my intention and strong desire to visit Mr. Visoot Charoenporn, my painting mentor, especially when he had moved from Bangkok to Chiang Mai 20 years ago. He also has his parent's house on the beach in Prachuapkhirikhan, a province in the South of Thailand, where he had grown up. What fascinates me is what fascinates him and his family to spend so much time living in Chiang Mai? For me, this is an intriguing story.
Mr. Visoot told me: "Weather in Chiang Mai is very good. All three seasons, Summer, Rainy Season and Winter, are appropriate. These are natural changes that spice up people's lives. The mountains here are very charming, beautiful and the size of them is very suitable. The beauty of this area's colors and nature can be captured on canvas in many fulfilling ways". I agreed with his comment and when I visited him, I saw paintings of the Doi Luang Chiang Dao and Doi Inthanont mountains which are quite beautiful and obviously provide memories he treasures.
Khun Penchan Premwuthi, his wife, a Silpakorn alumna, graduated in the same year as her husband. Both of them were students of Professor Silp Perasri (Corrado Feroci), the well-known sculptor from Florence, Italy who is regarded as the "father" of contemporary Arts in Thailand. He once said "Art is forever but life is short."
Not only is Khun Visoot Charoenporn a famous sculptor of Buddha statues but he is also a preeminent painter in Thailand and recognized as such internationally.
His niece, Daranee Charoenporn, who graduated from Rajabhat Bangkok University two years ago, is also a painter.
Daranee was the driver who brought Khun Visoot to see me frequently over the past year. From this gifted family, I learned about the arts and ways of living a good life. I learned how to paint and eat macrobiotic food which is a valuable option for healthy and happy living. They also inspired me to shape and arrange my house the way an artist would.
Khun Visoot Charoenporn likes to exercise a great deal by cycling. This is how I met him in Chiang Mai stadium at the 700th anniversary of Chiang Mai's founding. I became his painting student after I returned from a trip to Bali. I told him that I would paint what I saw in Bali and he, with great kindness, agreed to check my work frequently with his niece for months until I stopped painting. When I did, I had 78 oil paintings of many sizes on canvas.
Once, I was informed that Khun Visoot was quite ill but he refused to let me visit him in the hospital. However, during the first month of 2010, he went to the hospital again, but this time allowed me to meet him there. I was delighted and found that many of his friends came to visit him as well. He had changed. He was pleased to see me and told me that he built another house near his old place for resting and health recovery. He offered to allow me to go there anytime when he can be at home after his hospital stay.
The route to Mae Malai – Pai
I drove there for 70 Km on a sunny day. I had a chance to see the house of an artist who, interestingly enough, is also the president of the "land and house development" including the golf course in the area called, Viang Ping Villa Golf Club which was recently sold to the land and house company.
Finally I arrived at his house after I lost my way for many kilometers and turned back to the correct route in the end. From the main road, I saw houses with many bicycles and I was sure that those were his homes.
I was greeted by an old woman who stood at the corridor. I and my son greeted her back. She was framed by many paintings of flowers on the walls. She was Khun Penchan, his wife.
My son and I walked around the other houses, one with a piano on the terrace. Then Khun Phenchan and I had conversation about the exceptional arts of Chiang Mai.
Khun Penchan loves to paint flowers whereas Khun Visoot loves to paint landscapes. It's amazing that paintings from this family are always sold out in the gallery. Whenever an exhibition took place, all paintings were reserved all the time.
After that, Khun Daranee led me to the working room and the gallery. I saw her paintings of many kinds of boats next to the sea on small canvases along with the large paintings of the sea from Khun Visoot as well as the lovely, gentle paintings of Khun Penchan.
I felt very happy to visit great and gentle artists in Chiang Mai province.
In the morning the temperature was 7 degrees Celsius, the sun and wind from the mountain sang of the happiness to be alive... .
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