Prasert Kunaphol

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My friends say I'm quiet, that I really love my big family, and love to take care of them. That's a really good description of me.

I was born in Chiang Mai in 1967 into a large family with seven siblings. My parents always taught us to love and share. They said, 'Brothers and sisters never leave each other. Whenever someone is suffering, the others must help and be supportive.'

"In our area you can find a lot of arts and crafts such as umbrellas, wood carving, sewing, lace making and saa paper. I worked in the furniture factory near my house. At first, I didn't have any skills, so I did lifting and packaging. Then I began to learn the craftsman skills such as scrubbing, painting, assembling, cutting and putting gold leaf on the wooden boxes. I stayed at the factory for ten years, but resigned when the ownership changed.

"In 1995, I gathered my brothers and sisters to help, and started my own workshop at home where I could use my skills and experiences. I began crafting small wooden boxes painted with the unique patterns of Chiang Mai, like gold Thai painting on a dark red background. We sold our designs at the night bazaar and they were well received.

"I studied the different patterns in books and on temple walls, and applied these to my designs. Once, we had problems obtaining mango wood and rain tree wood, which is our main material, so I decided to experiment with MDF.

"Today, we make a variety of objects and designs. Half of the collaborators are my family members; we love to work together as a team and they don't have to leave our home town to find jobs. Our workshop is like home. When we have religious ceremonies, they're able to go to help. I always give them a bag of rice with each month's payment, and every year I give them a bus trip vacation to thank them for giving me force and strength. When I don't have much work for them, they always understand and help me create new styles. My parents are very proud of us because we really love and support each other.

"I'm not expecting much for the future, only to produce beautiful and good quality designs with the uniqueness of Thailand's heritage. Thank you very much for your interest. I hope you like them."