Nuttiya

"Hello! My name is Nuttiya, or you can call me ‘Nuch’. I was born in 1979 and raised in Chiang Mai. I have had a simple life, and since my childhood I have been interested in the arts. Although I decided to study accounting in my university life, my enthusiasm for the arts eventually brought me to work in this field.

"After I graduated from university, I worked with my uncle at a wood furniture store at Baan Tawai (a famous village of wood carving handicrafts in Chiang Mai). I had a chance to meet new people in this handicrafts circle. I met with one painting shop owner, and we became friends quickly because she knew how I loved paintings. I went to her shop often, and she taught me how to paint, step by step. Her shop started to sell paintings on wood to tourists who visited Baan Tawai.

"I enjoyed learning everything from her. One day she said she wanted to pass the shop to me and move to live in the south of Thailand. From that day, I have never stopped painting for 14 years.

"The first work I learned was painting Lanna women’s portraits on wood and canvas. I tried to use different materials besides regular paint, such as resin, gold foil, etc. My inspiration came from where I grew up, charming Thai motifs, Buddhism, and Lanna history and beliefs.

"Now I have two children; I live with my husband and run this shop with an assistant from my family. I let my husband’s brother and my grandchildren help in the shop, for a total of 5 people. I keep looking for new inspirations to create a unique painting and study new skills because I want my art to be different from others in this market.

"I want to expand to selling online because fewer tourists come to the shops in this area, and it will be difficult to sell offline after the pandemic crisis. I hope selling with Novica can help expand the appreciation of Thai arts through my paintings. Thank you."