News Items
All Thai’d up in art: festival displays variety of artwork
The Vox, Spokane, WA
September 2008
Staff Writer Emily Steckler
On the weekend of Aug. 2, the annual two-day art festival in Bigfork, MT displayed a wide variety of artwork ranging from mirrors made of recycled cans, to artists who painted with cattle markers.
All eyes seemed to be attracted to one of the more unique presenters, Sunti Pichetchaiyakul of Thailand, and his American wife, Erica. One of his more popular pieces is the sculpture of an 86-year old holy monk from Thailand. The international Thai artist loves to see the expressions of people’s faces, as they stand mesmerized by the meditating monk.
Once they realize the monk is just a sculpture, the “holy cows” and “oh my god’s” start pouring out. Intricate details include blue-purple veins in the arms, age spots on the face, cracks in the lips, wrinkles in the forehead, and even the dark purple eyelids as if the monk hasn’t gotten enough sleep.
“The reaction is always similar, but it’s quite encouraging to see individuals from all over the world, speaking different languages and respecting different religions all experiencing my work with astonishment,” Sunti said.
Even though Erica tries to persuade the viewers to come into the booth and enjoy Sunti’s other paintings and oils, the viewers cannot seem to take their eyes off the monk.
Born in Chumpuang, Nakhon Ratchasima, Sunti started drawing at age two, but the pictures did not become animals and people until age four. He remembers sculpting at age four with clay from his local river.
“I enjoyed sculpting Buddhas and elephants,” Sunti Said. At age six years old he was selling sculptures of UFO’s, spaceships, and superheroes to friends; at seven he won a regional art contest.
“Whatever I have to create art with is whatever I use. I love creating my own designs with recycled materials,” Sunti said.
“It’s very powerful and spiritually gratifying to be taken away with Sunti to another dimension through his artwork,” Erica said. “From blades of grass, the texture of sand, shadows on the wall, and backlight of a tree… Sunti sees the world as if experiencing it for the first time.”
His meditating monk, mostly made of clay, is just one step in the multi-step process in creating fiberglass resin sculptures. The process also uses wax, plaster, and concrete.
He begins the process taking many pictures from numerous angles of his subject. He then attaches his clay to a wooden support structure quickly so the cay does not dry out. He immediately coats the clay in plaster. A wax mold is formed to be used for creating the fine detail. The wax gets coated in another plaster coat to create a mold of silicone and then a fiberglass model. He paints the sculpture with acrylic paint to produce the final product.
At age 36, Sunti has produced artwork for over 50 temples in Thailand. He has been featured on television in Thailand, Japan, Korea, China, and also UBC and CNN World. Sunti owns two galleries in Bangkok and hopes to temporarily get a studio in Flathead Valley within the next month or two.
“I am so eager to see the world and continue my art wherever I go. I love to see different styles of art integrated with culture,” Sunti said.
Creation Arts Center Celebrates One Year Anniversary
Posted: Monday, August, 25, 2008
On August 9th, 2008, Sunti teamed up with Charlie Sitting Bull at Creation Arts Center, West Helena, and held a magnificent and educational performance for the Center’s one year anniversary. Charlie Sitting Bull, great, great grandson of Chief Sitting Bull (1837-1890), coalesced his ancestral wisdom and Lakota heritage with the Buddhist traditions and artistic mindfulness of the Thai sculptor, leaving all in attendance deeply moved and awestruck.
The Center, founded in 2006, is a non-profit organization devoted to encouraging clay art participation and education for children and developmentally challenged individuals. Designed to promote self-expression and inner healing through the arts, while accommodating all ages, abilities, and academic levels, Creation Arts Center provides a safe and welcoming environment and offers pottery classes to the public. Leslie L. Elford, Executive Director, and his wife, Donna Elford, Board President, celebrated Creation Arts Center’s first anniversary with a sensational exhibition of cultural immersion and artistic expression. The Ribbon Cutting ceremony was covered by Beartooth News, Channel 12, and took place Friday, August 8th.
Without question, Charlie Sitting Bull’s dancing, drumming, and story telling, in conjunction with international artist, Sunti Pichetchaiyakul’s sculpting demonstration and display of paintings, the Elfords organized and coordinated a lively and diverse selection of literary, culinary, horticultural, visual, and performing art. To top it off, Leslie’s band, performed live soft rock music during dinner hours, in which guests were served bison, elk and beef soup, organically grown salads, and homemade cakes.
The exclusive event began as Charlie Sitting Bull, dressed in his traditional and colorful garments, performed the long-established grass dance, intended to prepare the grass of a sacred site prior to a Lakota ceremony. Set in front of a traditional teepee and accompanied by his girlfriend, Wendy Willow, Charlie discussed cultural stereotypes and misconceptions of Indians. Upholding equal distinction, humility, and intuition as the celebrated Chief Sitting Bull, Charlie spoke with sincerity and eloquence as he greeted the local Assiniboines, Blackfeet, Cherokee, and Nez Perce, and welcomed all other visitors with time-honored stories of Indian customs. An advisor and professor at Northwest Indian College in Bellingham, Washington, and with a background in psychology, Charlie’s insight and light-heartedness enthralled his viewers as he shared his life experiences.
Following Charlie’s remarkable presentation, the crowd left the teepee and filtered into the art gallery, embellished with international artist, Sunti Pichetchaiyakul’s Native American paintings. The live sculpting began once Sunti had unveiled his commissioned bust of Chief Sitting Bull, currently in its first stage of clay, and selected Charlie Sitting Bull as his model for the demonstration. He explained to the crowd, translated by his American wife, Erica (Dao) Pichetchaiyakul, that his speed in sculpting has caused television stations from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan to film Sunti in Thailand; his fastest time being 27 minutes. Without a moment to spare, the audience set their watches as Sunti plunged his hands into the clay and began sculpting Charlie Sitting Bull. The infusion of spiritual connectedness and untainted energy between such influential men produced jocular chemistry and a playful atmosphere. To the surprise of the audience, Sunti completed an impressionistic bust in only 26 minutes, identically resembling his model.
Undeniably, the evening included not only art and entertainment, but also a rewarding and educational experience, embracing spiritual and cultural infusion. Indeed, both Charlie Sitting Bull and Sunti Pichetchaiyakul abolished the separation between religion, race, and cultural differences, and led the audience to a more meaningful dimension at Creation Arts Center.
Download Helena Newspaper Announcement
Get Real
Posted: Monday, Jul 28, 2008
By CANDACE CHASE/The Daily Inter Lake
Thai artist’s monk elicits oohs and ahhs Thai artist Sunti Pichetchaiyakul loves to watch the reactions as people eye the meditating monk at his booth at local art fairs.
He laughed, mimicking their expressions of amazement when they realize the monk is a sculpture. From the veins on his hands to the wrinkles and age spots on his face, the aged monk speaks to the mastery of his creator.
Click Here to read the full story.