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Monrudee Tossa

"Sawat dee kha! My name is Monrudee Tossa and my nickname is 'Pom.' I was born on June 1, 1980 in northeast Thailand. We are a family of farmers. I am very close to my mother and my two brothers, and I get along quite easily with everyone. My life is really easy and free, very pleasant. I have lots of friends with whom I party and often travel with them.

"My parents could support my studies through primary school. I then went to a beauty school. Upon receiving my diploma, I went back home and opened a beauty salon. In 2002, I moved to a larger city, where I again opened a small beauty salon. It is then that I became interested in Thai arts and crafts. During my spare time, I would study certain crafts and learn the processes while visiting workshops and small artisan villages. I gradually earned extra income sewing clothes and crocheting work like hats, slippers and bags, which I consigned with a friend to sell. Later, I also strung necklaces and bracelets with silver but, more importantly, I developed a real passion for wood works.

"There are so many types of items made with different kinds of wood here that it's overwhelming. Nevertheless, most artisans are not really creative and would rather copy one another. So I think about what items exist and design different things. I then take my ideas to several carvers who are friends of mine and, if feasible, they craft them for me. My style is natural! My wood items underscore the color and essence of nature. Bamboo, teak wood, rain tree wood, rosewood and mango wood take shape in the hands of people who live close to nature. I want items that are simple, functional and decorative, yet have a rustic, sometimes even a rough finish.

"In the future, I will keep on developing new items. Now, I am working on special decorative pieces made with seashells. But I am also planning to work with other materials, perhaps mix them with wood when possible. I have plenty of ideas when it comes to decoration. My products are the fruit of my imagination and it makes me proud to show my ideas. By the way, I hope you will appreciate that most of what I present through Novica you will not see elsewhere. Khob khun kha!"