Painting in Thailand

New Paintings in Progress - Bushwick, Brooklyn 2011

2011-03-13T23:00:00.003+07:00

New Paintings in Progress...
I am working on some new paintings to go with the collages that I have been making recently. Special thanks to my model Christopher for taking time out from his modeling and acting career to pose for me.

More or Less Queer at NoSpace, Bangkok

2011-03-13T22:45:00.004+07:00

More or Less Queer Curated by Brian Curtin at NoSpace, Bangkok

Artists include:
Mark Robbins
Ohm Phanphiroj
Panpan Nakprasert
Rene Smith

curated by Brian Curtin

March 3 - March 13, 2011
NoSpace Bangkok
I'm showing four of my new collages in this exhibit. The image above is artist Ohm Phanphiroj with his work and two of my pieces.

Abstract at Angkrit Gallery, Chiang Rai, Thailand

2010-08-04T20:36:00.002+07:00

Natural Drawing (Sukhothai). Oil, Acrylic, and Collage on Canvas. 2010.
by Rene Smith.

Abstract: paintings by PAINTING DIVISION DEPARTMENT OF PRINTMAKING PAINTING SCULPTURE - FACULTY OF FINE ARTS - CHIANGMAI UNIVERSITY

Opens at Angkrit Gallery in Chiang Rai August 7, 2010. Through September 30.

Photos from The Siam Art Fair 2010

2010-08-04T20:14:00.002+07:00

Pictured above: Bangkok Art House's booth

Please visit my Flickr site to see more photos from The Siam Art Fair, Bangkok 2010.

Siam Art Fair - Bangkok ArtHouse

2010-07-23T17:55:00.002+07:00

Bangkok ArtHouse Gallery will be showing a collaborative painting that I made with Kade Javanalikikorn at the Siam Art Fair.
The Siam Art Fair will be held between the July 31 and August 8, 2010 at
Crystal Design Center. 40 galleries from across Thailand will participate.

Exhibition by Rene Smith & David Burke in Bangkok

2010-06-21T14:17:00.008+07:00

DREAMING MY DREAMS WITH YOU
Paintings by DAVID BURKE & RENE SMITH

KOI ART GALLERY
43/12 Soi Sukhumvit 31
Bangkok, Thailand

JULY 15th to AUGUST 16th, 2010

OPENING RECEPTION: Thursday July 15th

Rene Smith. Thailand's Least Visited National Park II. Oil on canvas 90 x 100cm.

David Burke. Acrylic and resin on canvas.

This exhibition showcases the paintings of two American artists, Rene Smith (New York) and David Burke (California). Both artists have recently held the one-year position of Visiting Lecturer in Painting at Chiang Mai University.

Dreaming My Dreams With You is an exhibition of new work by David Burke and Rene Smith made during their one year stay in Thailand. The paintings are a combination of ideas and techniques developed in the U.S. with images and concepts influenced by life in Thailand. Their work explores the way that traveling to and living in another culture mixes the visitor's actual experiences with dreams, fantasies, and hopes about new places. David Burke uses a unique and highly contemporary process of hi tech resins, gels, and acrylic paint to create his visually stunning semi-abstract paintings. Rene Smith uses a glazing technique based on traditional oil painting methods of the Renaissance to create paintings that are both highly realistic and dream-like. Although the two artists' work and techniques are very different, they have both been inspired by the experience of living as foreigners in Thailand. Both artists have been struck with the way that interior spaces flow into exterior spaces in Thailand, and the way that this causes the line between a private, interior space and a public, exterior space to blur.

This exhibition is the result of a true cultural exchange. David Burke and Rene Smith have been fortunate to spend a full year each in Thailand inside a predominantly Thai university. This experience has led to a very close relationship with Thai students and professors and a greater understanding between Thai and U.S. artists and art students. This exhibition is a reflection of their unique experience.

Contact: koi@koiartgallerybangkok.com
ReneMSmith@gmail.com
davidburke13@gmail.com
Gallery Phone: 662 662 3219
Gallery Mobile: 668 1 833 0690

Thai Artists in New York

2010-04-16T04:26:00.003+07:00

There are just a few days left to see Pinaree Sanpitak's show Quietly Floating at Tyler Rollins Fine Art in Chelsea. The gallery will be showing another Thai artist later this month. Jakkai Siributr's exhibition Karma Cash & Carry will open on April 22nd.

Coming up in May is a group show in Dumbo, Brooklyn by The Thai Artists Alliance, a group of Thai artists and designers living in New York. The show opens May 25. More information is on their website: http://www.thaiartistsnyc.org/

Upcoming Exhibition in Bangkok

2010-03-15T23:12:00.003+07:00

I will be returning to Thailand in July 2010 for a two person show with David Burke in Bangkok. The show will be at a new gallery that is opening soon. Please stay tuned for in progress pics and more!

This blog has been neglected due to the death of my trusty Macbook (RIP 2004-09) but I have a new computer and will be updating it again.

Thanks to Supapong Laodheerasiri for helping with the installation of my show at Chiang Mai University last year, and taking the great photo that I posted above.

Exhibition in Chiang Mai

2009-09-16T13:56:00.002+07:00

René Smith
Greatest Hits 2008 - 2552
September 2- 14, 2009
Faculty of Fine Arts Gallery Chiang Mai University

Photos from the show

Studio Update

2009-04-28T08:53:00.003+07:00

The first painting from this series is finished! And two more in progress...

Off to Laos

2009-04-05T17:15:00.003+07:00

Dave and I are off to Laos for a new visa for him and a short vacation. After we get back I'll catch up on posting pictures from our trip to the south of Thailand last month.
Above are some new paintings I've been working on at school - I have a big studio there, but only for the summer.

I am here

2009-03-03T12:53:00.004+07:00

On Saturday Dave and I will head to a small island in Krabi in the South of Thailand with some of the other painting professors. We'll be gone for two weeks.

Mon Thaa Than Falls - Chiang Mai

2009-03-03T12:32:00.002+07:00

This waterfall is less than 15 minutes from our house - a part of Doi Suthep National Park.

A great painting in the information center!

End of Semester - Student Work

2009-03-03T12:22:00.002+07:00

I posted some images of student work from the end of semester reviews on my flickr site. My students' BFA show "Ending to Beginning" opens on Friday March 6 at 6pm at the Chiang Mai University Art Museum. It runs through March 30.

Lectures and Workshop in Bangkok

2009-02-21T09:48:00.010+07:00

Last week Dave and I went to do a workshop called "Everything Has Its Cartography, Its Geography, Its Diagram" at King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkabang in Bangkok. I gave a talk about my work, and we did the workshop with grad and post-grad students.

Dave presents some contemporary artists whose work relates to mapping. In this slide is an image from Mark Dion's project at Bartram's Gardens in West Philadelphia. For more about Dion's project see Fallon and Rosof's Artblog post.

The following day the students did their own mapping projects. They chose to "map" the area in front of the library.

Pictured above is Natnaran Bualoy, who interviewed a lady who had lived in the area for a long time about what the space was like before the library was built.

Pisitakun "Nat" Kuntalang made a series of small drawings recording what was in the sky every few seconds.

A giraffe's journey - Kasira Siriwattanakul, Piangpatu Thantavivattananont, and Supawadee documented this little giraffe taking the same path that we followed from the classroom to the site.

Students laying out string to map the word "Ladkabang" according to a design created by a computer program they wrote. This project was made by Manatsawee Torsuwan, Tanasan Kanakasem, and Kritsada Phakawatsuntorn.

My artist talk for the undergrads. The students were great and asked lots of interesting questions - for more than an hour!

Special thanks to Komson Nookiew for inviting us, arranging everything, and translating too.

More photos from the workshop here.

More photos of student work here.

Lamphun, Thailand

2009-02-20T10:39:00.002+07:00

Watercolor and Gouache on Paper. 11 x 14 inches.

analogmemory by Nukarb and Sosharp at Pongnoi Artspace

2009-02-20T09:31:00.002+07:00

Earlier this month Dave and I went to the opening of analogmemory at Pongnoi Artspace. Installed in the gallery was a little living room with tv, astroturf, many small photo albums to browse, and torn photographs on the walls.

More photos, including the accompanying wall text here.

Realistic Paint - Some Highlights

2009-02-19T20:54:00.003+07:00

Some work from the end of the semester from my Painting II Students.
More here.

Painting Classes in Chiang Mai

2009-02-11T21:30:00.004+07:00

I will be returning to Chiang Mai in July 2010, and I may be offering art classes there (in English) in the future. Please contact me if you are interested at ReneMSmith at gmail.com

(The above image is from a natural drawing made by Drawing IV students from Chiang Mai University on a trip I took with them last year)

Sofian Audry at Compeung

2009-02-11T20:57:00.002+07:00

A visitor checking out the work.

There is a small residency program about 1/2 hour outside of Chiang Mai in Doi Saket. The Canadian artist Sofian Audrey recently showed the new media project that he created there over the last few months.
Check out the video of his project here:
Absences Video
And his website here:
http://www.sofianaudry.com/en/works/absences

My photos of his project and Compeung on flickr here.

Thailand's Least Visited National Park

2009-02-06T10:00:00.002+07:00

Watercolor and gouache on paper.
11 x 14 inches.

My Friends - How I Have Missed You

2009-01-27T10:25:00.001+07:00

Dave brought me some Gamblin Radiant White from the U.S.A.

Painting at the Temple

2009-01-25T10:39:00.003+07:00

We take the realistic painting students to paint at a temple just outside the city. I team teach this class with 3 other teachers, and we have 50 students. It is a required class for second year students.

Composing the painting.

Don't forget your rubber arm.

A motorbike makes a good easel.

This class reminded me of the good old days of Rome Sketchbook, an onsite drawing class that I took as an undergraduate student with Marina Adams, and then later taught as a grad student for two semesters.

Visit to Doi Khun Tan National Park

2009-01-22T20:58:00.002+07:00

Last weekend we had a camping trip to Doi Khun Tan National Park in Lamphun - about 1 1/2 hours from Chiang Mai. According to Lonely Planet, this park is Thailand's least visited, but it was really nice. We went with the senior painting students and the other faculty, and stayed in sweet seventies style park bungalows.

There were songs.

Informative maps.

Late night Pork BBQ.

Back of the School Van Portraiture (pictured is a portrait of Dave).

And General Fun Times.

More pictures here

Lecture on My Work

2009-01-20T13:56:00.002+07:00

Wednesday January 21, 2009 6pm

Chiang Mai University Faculty of Fine Arts

I'll be giving a talk about my work - with Thai translation.

Christmas with The Thai Beatles Specialist

2009-01-16T09:18:00.003+07:00

It was just an accident that we ended up at a bar with the Beatles specialist. He played every hit, with a perfect soft British accent and a level of feeling and enthusiasm that was quite impressive.
In this photo you can see the back of Om and Kosit's heads and the man doing his thing at the Drunken Flower.

New Years in Meh Hong Son

2009-01-15T20:14:00.003+07:00

For New Years I went to Meh Hong Son. I stayed in the beautiful and non-touristy town of Meh Sariang and had quiet times with drawings and bbq'd meats and evenings by the fire. We also went out one day to the river that separates Thailand and Burma and went out on a boat.

But not this boat - I took this picture from the larger boat that we were on.

More photos here.

Yupha Mahamart - Printmaker

2008-12-29T13:45:00.002+07:00

Me and Yupha Mahamart with her work.

This field is actually on campus, tucked away behind the gas station. If you look in the right direction it looks like you're in the middle of nowhere. I came to see this project around 5:45, just as it was starting to get dark. The light was really beautiful. From some angles you see the blue prints, and from others you see the blue sky reflected in the plexiglass.

The artist considers this project a sketch for a future, more complete piece.

Dogs in the Painting Office

2008-12-29T09:58:00.005+07:00

Many local dogs wander freely in and out of the school - often stopping by for a visit in the painting office. Sometimes they sport stylish fashions.

Sexy dog with Kitti working at his desk in the background.

Pai

2008-12-22T20:18:00.004+07:00

I visited Pai this weekend - about 2 1/2 hours from Chiang Mai. Somehow I didn't take any pictures in the town itself.

But I did take a picture of this sign - I love it!

Progress

2008-12-14T17:30:00.000+07:00

Things From the Past that I Am Thinking About Now - Brent Green

2008-12-10T12:15:00.005+07:00

Recently I have been thinking about the work of Brent Green which I first saw at Bellwether in 2007.
Links to Brent's Films on YouTube

Art Handlers

2008-12-04T19:32:00.002+07:00

My students after the crit for "The Nude" in realistic painting.

This photo is of the same kids from a different angle.

Eating Lunch at Khun Churn

2008-12-03T15:27:00.003+07:00

I love to go to the vegetarian buffet at Khun Churn in the Nimmanhaemin area of Chiang Mai. They have a wide selection of salad items and cooked vegetables that you can add your own sauces to (including delicious peanut sauce!), plus curries, brown rice, soups, dessert, and an unsweetened drink bar. Many of the drinks here in Thailand are too sweet for me, but at Khun Churn you can add your own sweetener to drinks like: iced tea, roselle, lemongrass, herbal black jelly, etc.

They also always have a deep fried vegetable with sauce - just in case you are feeling too healthy. Next time I'll take some pictures of the buffet too.

Songkran Soodham - Life and Chiang Mai Environment

2008-12-02T15:32:00.002+07:00

Songkran Soodham, who also teaches in the Painting Department at Chiang Mai University, showed his paintings at the Faculty of Fine Arts Gallery. The show will up through December 12.

The artist with his work.

More photos.

More To Love: The Art of Living Together

2008-12-02T14:58:00.004+07:00

A traveling art exhibition to fight stigma around HIV
Curated by Chattiya Nitpolprasert
with Hans Nefkens, founder of ArtAids
This show had an unexpected resonance to it - maybe because it was initiated by Hans Nefkens, who has been HIV positive since 1987. Not only is he deeply committed to HIV / AIDS issues, but he also has a genuine interest in Thai artists and plans to bring this exhibition to other countries to help their work become known outside of Thailand.

paintings by Nipan Oranniwesna

work by Arin Rungjang (nice use of suitcase)
on view until December 19, 2008

The Far Side of CMU Campus

2008-11-23T13:15:00.002+07:00

This picture was taken on the Chiang Mai University Campus.

We Eat A Lot

2008-11-19T20:28:00.004+07:00

On Monday night I went to a giant buffet restaurant with my Thai Language Class. I've been taking an intensive 3 hour a day class. Many of the people in my class took the Teacher of English as a Foreign Language class at CMU and are now teaching English or looking for a job. A couple people are working for NGO's, and a couple of people who don't live here are doing it for fun, which is pretty admirable.

The restaurant featured the most food I've ever seen. Each kind of food had its own area. There was an enormous amount of seafood, bbq meat on sticks, pork bbq rolls, a wide variety of seeds and nuts, soups, every fruit, every vegetable, many donuts, many cakes, ice cream with many toppings, thai jellies, etc.

We sat at table # 300

Of all the surprising foods, the most surprising to me was this happy little guy. He looks like he might be some kind of candy, but actually he's calamari.

More photos.

Look At This - Recent Paintings by Chatchawan Nilsakul

2008-11-19T20:14:00.004+07:00

A new gallery is opening here in Chiang Mai, and the first show opens tomorrow evening. It is an exhibition of recent paintings by Chatchawan Nilsakul, who teaches with me at the Faculty of Fine Arts here at CMU.

Pictures from the opening.

Mini Asiatopia in Chiang Mai

2008-11-19T18:13:00.006+07:00

This Sunday in Chiang Mai was Mini Asiatopia, a mini version of the full-size Asiatopia that has been happening in Bangkok over the past few weeks.
It was organized by CMU Painting Department Chair Padungsak Kochsomrong and Monthatip Suksopha.
With performances by:

Kaori Haba (Japan)
Fabien Montmartin (France)
Gertrude Moser-Wagner(Austria)
Barbara Sturm (Swiss)
Valentin Torrens(Spain)
Dan Mckereghan(USA)
The Wandering Moon performing group and endless journey (Thailand)
And 3 artists from The 4th Mekong Performing Arts Laboratory (Mekong Countries)

Above:
Dan Mckereghan(USA)

Above:
Fabien Montmartin (France)

Performance by artists from The 4th Mekong Performing Arts Laboratory

More Mini Asiatopia Photos here

Loi Krathong

2008-11-13T19:59:00.005+07:00

Last night I went to the river for the loi krathong festival. Krathong are these banana leaf rafts with incense and candles. Mine was very generously made by one of the teacher's wives.

Here is my krathong floating away on the river...

People also light fires in the bottoms of these hot air lanterns - hundreds of them float in the sky. This morning the old ones were laying around my neighborhood like sad ghosts.

On Sunday we will have a small portion of Asiatopia, a performance arts festival that is mainly in Bangkok. Some of the artists are already here so we all went together.

Performance artists light the lantern.

Japanese artist Kaori Haba releases her krathong.

Loi Krathong

2008-11-13T19:53:00.002+07:00

A short video from Loi Krathong

Realistic Paint

2008-11-09T16:58:00.002+07:00

One of the classes I'm teaching is Realistic Paint, for second year students. The first week we had still life, and last week portrait.

Things are pretty much the same as they are in the U.S. (for this class) as you can see from this photo.

I made a demo painting...

Wat Umong

2008-11-01T16:10:00.003+07:00

This sign is posted outside of Wat Umong.

This week two German artist who have been teaching for a semester in Bangkok came up to Chiang Mai for a few days. The graduate students from the new media department took us to feed some scary fish. There's a video of them on my flickr site (the fish, not the artists).

Then we visited Wat Umong, a 14th century temple a couple miles from the university. There is some wall painting in the tunnels at the temple - rare for Thailand - the moisture destroys paintings very quickly here. Even these examples were barely visible.

German artists feed Thai art.

Some Country Bike Rides

2008-10-26T18:28:00.007+07:00

Yesterday and today were cooler than normal (around 85 degrees, instead of 95) so I took the opportunity to go on some bike rides out of town.

Behind my house I found this little pond with a couple of guys swimming in it. A small paved path headed out past the pond - it was perfect for biking through the lush surroundings. Until it ended unexpectedly with this pile of wet papers and a wall.

Yesterday I found this lake with a restaurant with little seating areas that extend over the water. I'll have to go back and try it later.

I also found a small lot for old shrines.

Black Jelly

2008-10-25T16:15:00.008+07:00

I try to keep up with 22 year olds.
These are some seniors from CMU - 2 of them are my students. All four of them are going to Virginia Beach in March for a work exchange.

I try to eat this.
It is some very firm black jelly bits with some softer white jelly bits and chips of ice. It has a kind of herbal taste. It is a dessert. Even though it doesn't taste bad, texturally I just can't do it.

Some New York Activities

2008-10-23T16:12:00.008+07:00

If I was in New York, I would definitely be attending these events. If you are there check them out:

Artists' Books Conference - It's happening right now! No guarantee that Dave and Emily will wear matching outfits - but one can hope.

Unbreak My Heart - curated by Brent Burket (check out his blog - link to the right) at Pluto in Brooklyn. This show includes work by
rosanna bruno
ej hauser
robert schatz
luke whitlatch
kate gilmore
and my friend Beth Gilfilen The image above is a studio shot from Beth.
It opens November 1.

I would also check out:
Lisa Sanditz at CRG Gallery - I loved her last show.
And Roger White at Rachel Uffner - closes November 2.

My House on the Farm

2008-10-20T11:22:00.003+07:00

This is my house:

I live on the second floor - the landlord has an office on the first floor, but he is rarely there. The house is in a group of houses that all share one driveway and a really nice party / bbq area. It feels like a camp, or a rustic resort. One of the things that I love about Chiang Mai is how quickly it changes from city to country. I'm only 2 miles out of the center, but it is literally like the country, or even like the jungle. When I ride my bike at night I can hear the woods teeming with life. There are cows, dogs, chickens, exotic birds, lizards, and every kind of bug large and small.

I set up a little studio here - it is still unclear whether I'll have a space at the University. I have also been painting out on the balcony.

This is the party area with Kitti, who I met at Vermont Studio Center in 2003, his wife Maew, and my landlord. I took this photo when I first went to see the house. This complex is where James and Gaby lived when they lived in Chiang Mai.

More photos here.

Pongnoi Artspace

2008-10-18T10:04:00.004+07:00

I recently visited Pongnoi Artspace here in Chiangmai. The current show is called "Childhood" by Tirawat Sangphueng.
The space is really nice, with a little outdoor seating area around a pool.

Just the Facts

2008-10-15T22:40:00.005+07:00

I look good, right? I made some changes since I moved to Thailand.

Student Work - End of Semester Reviews

2008-10-15T10:24:00.002+07:00

When I first arrived the university was at the end of its "fall" semester so I got to sit in on the final crits for the seniors and grad students. They were held at the Art Museum here. These students are all painting students - there was a really wide variety of work, and it was great to get to see it all at once.

Some Senior work:

Work by Grad Student Morrakot Naksin

You can see more pictures from the crits here

New Roommates

2008-10-14T12:41:00.004+07:00

I actually have even more roommates than this, but they are difficult to document.
This guy hangs out on my balcony, and will come right in the house if I leave the door open.

Maybe I should let him in - to try to reduce my lizard population. These guys mostly hang out in the kitchen, but have been known to also appear in the bedroom. There are a lot of them.

Luckily this is the only one of these I've seen in the house so far.

The roommates also try to collaborate with me on my drawings. During the night someone added a few choice bite marks to this one:

Two New Drawings

2008-10-13T22:34:00.002+07:00

Two new drawings in my studio aka living room. I really like how they look in these spaces in the wall. I just got my first Thai stretcher bars today - they're beautiful and teak. I stretched one and it's all ready to go for tomorrow.

A Trip to Sukhothai with Om

2008-10-12T16:36:00.004+07:00

Om and I take a trip to Sukhothai, her home town, with her son Yaku.
We visit the temple ruins there.

On the way we visit one of her friends from school, a painter who lives on the river about 45 minutes outside of Chiang Mai.

View More Photos on My Flickr Site

The First Post

2008-10-12T11:11:00.000+07:00

Hello Friends
I'm starting this blog to document my year as a Visiting Lecturer in Painting at Chiang Mai University. I've been here for about three weeks now so I'll be adding some pictures from the past weeks over the next few days.
You can also visit my website: www.renesmith.net to see my paintings. My first Thai stretcher bars will be arriving on monday so I'll be updating that site with new work pretty soon.