Most people in North America have heard of Thailand because it is a popular tourist destination. In fact, when I typed Thailand into the internet a lot of the images were inebriated looking people taking party pictures at night. Its funny that some places get a reputation for being a party place, like Thailand, Amsterdam, Rio de Janeiro, when in fact the people there are incredibly conservative and probably annoyed by the hedonism that occurs. In history, Thailand was the center of the powerful kingdom of Siam that served as trading hub between the orient and the sea faring traders. When Portuguese traders arrived in the early 16th century Siam was one of the few countries to resist colonization, although they were forced into certain trade agreements. Things stabilized throughout the wars more or less, and Thailand emerged as one of the wealthiest and technologically advanced countries in the world. Finding a scene to paint from Thailand was difficult, since most of the material on the internet seemed to be promotional, touristy photos. Google maps showed quite different views, much more neutral and brownish. It was striking just how many roads there were in Thailand, nearly the whole north part is covered in roads and houses. Finally, I settled on some waterfalls pouring into a lagoon full of fish. Makes you kind of want to visit and take some selfies eh?
World Inspired Landscapes: Thailand, watercolour 7 x 10" hot press, April 2025 (No. 2051b)
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