Some Country Bike Rides

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

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

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

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

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

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

Student Work - End of Semester Reviews

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

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

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

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

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.