Handmade Teakwood Wall Relief Panels Pair Sawasdee Elephants, "Sawasdee Elephant"

"I was born in 1991 in Chiang Rai province, the northernmost part of Thailand. My parents buy and sell secondhand cars and work from home. My childhood life was very simple like that of other children — eat, play, study and sleep.

"When I finished high school, I studied electrical engineering at a university in Bangkok. I spent four years studying, then worked there for another two years. For me, it was so boring to live in the big city. It's the city that never sleeps! It's crowded with traffic jams everywhere, not much fresh air and everything is very busy all the time. Bangkok is the complete opposite of my hometown. So I didn't hesitate in moving back to home.

"Then I thought about what I would do to earn a living. I started thinking of what I like most and what would make me happy. I remembered very clearly that I was always very grateful every time I visited my aunt in Lumphun province. She lives in Mae Tha district, which is the origin of local wood carving styles. I had seen a lot of carvings and they were everywhere. I like to explore the details of design, then try to imagine what I'd do differently if I were a craftsman.

"People asked me why I didn't find a new job related to electrical engineering. For me, working on things I love, things that have been familiar since childhood, is the best of life. So I focused and put great effort into learning woodworking. I found that woodcarving has many challenges, from finding designs that meet the needs of shoppers to quality control and marketing channels.

"Although I'm not a woodcarver myself, I like this type of art and I have become capable of designing and controlling the quality of the carvings. When traveling to other places, I exchange ideas with people and this helps inspire my designs.

"I work with many craftspeople around the village. I help them to develop designs and quality as well as to sell their work. I feel very proud to be able to take some part in preserving the woodcarving wisdom that is passed down from generation to generation.

"I use teak and raintree wood but, in the near future, I will focus on using raintree wood because there are so many around my village. Villagers like to plant raintrees around their rice fields for shade and also to cultivate lac, a resin produced by insects in the raintree. These trees are is easy to grow and grow fast.

"Finding the right channels for the artisans to sell their work is one of my greatest challenges. I was very excited when a friend told me about Novica. It's even more exciting to be able work with Novica. I hope you like our handcrafted Thai designs in wood."