"I found that painting [flowers] makes me feel more calm in my heart."

"Hello, my name is Somphol Boonruang. I was born on November 13, 1962 - the middle child of three in a family of farmers. I found my love for art when I was very young. After high school, I chose a fine arts major in college. When I graduated, people from a ceramic workshop asked me to teach their workers about painting on ceramic. I found it great to learn the ceramic process and teach at the same time. For three years I worked there, until I was offered a position teaching ceramic painting at the university.

"Three years later, a friend persuaded me to join him in a woodworking shop, again as a trainer. Here I learned and was able to join in the woodworking process. Eventually, I married and had a son, and this helped me decide to open my own wood workshop. My wife and I, just the two of us, ran the business. She also teaches ceramics in college. I had no experience managing money, and we did not receive as many orders as I'd hoped, so I thought of other work I could do too.

"I had never lost my love for painting, and I turned again to the fine arts. I am very interested in flowers and I especially like orchids. I think the orchid is my country's symbol, and it flourishes in the north where I was born. I photograph the most perfect blossoms and bring them to life in paintings, striving always to impart their soothing beauty. I found that painting them makes me feel more calm in my heart. I can rest after those years of hard work.

"At the moment I live alone, as my wife and son went to eastern Thailand to help her parents with their food business. But she and I have a dream of opening a small ceramic and painting gallery in northern Thailand. Because we love it, and it's something we can do. And it makes us happy."