Signed Painting of an Elephant and a Red Sun from Thailand 'Happiness Smile II' Item ID: 2669889088

"My name is Wattanapong Yotaitiang but friends call me by my nickname, Det. I was born in 1979 in northeastern Thailand. I am the youngest of three siblings. My life has been affected by many changes including our family moving to other districts because my parents were teachers in the hilltribe communities. For example, when we lived near the 'red zone' of the Laos communist border, I constantly heard gunshots and explosions. One day when we returned from school in my uncle's car, two armed soldiers tried to stop us. My uncle decided not to stop and kept on driving -fortunately, the soldiers didn't shoot at us.

"I moved to a small city to study art with my parents' full support. They said to me, 'whatever you want to do, you do it with love and with your heart.' My parents' words of wisdom were inspiring and encouraged me to continue with my art while all my friends were becoming officers. I realized I have good skills in woodcut prints, more so than in painting. I enjoy working this technique and using it to express my imagination. I am always developing my new ideas and techniques.

"For me, Novica is the best way to present a variety of art works to the world. For me, art is a way of life. When people see my work, they may think or feel something completely different from what I intended and this makes me happy. Be optimistic when looking at art, and you will keep your mind happy."

Det signs his works under his full name.