Trust

Hi,

We had a warm, sunny weekend here in Chiang Rai. Actually, it was hot. The big adventure was a road trip on Saturday evening to the opening of an art exhibition. Sunday we lunched with some new friends.

Many of you got the 'Old School' song. It was "Stormy Weather", first sung by Ethel Waters and sung by many artists through the years. Now let's get busy with 'Easy Monday'. This song should be easy:
"If the __ comes they run and hide their heads, they might as well be dead, if the __ comes, if the __ comes."
Hint: It's one word that everyone in SoCal can relate to about now. Yes, it's another weather song.

There is a Thai artist named Songdej Thipthong who has had quite a career in the art world. He invited us to the opening of his new exhibit, which is a permanent installation in his village near the town of Mae Chan. We rode north with Khun Jaffee and were totally blown away when we arrived. We had expected to see most of the local artists, and some of the people we usually see at openings. It turns out this was a village event. It looked like at least 2 or 3 hundred people were gathered in the big front yard. There was traditional Lana food everywhere we looked. As we made our way toward the back of the property, we saw a new building that was the gallery. It was a rather modern looking house but the doors were closed. In the courtyard in front of the house the principle guests were seated and they were just beginning the ceremony. Khun Tawan Duchanee, one of Thailand's most revered artists, was the presenter. He read a long poem he had written for Songdej. Right before that there were young girls doing a traditional dance in full costume. After the poem, a large blank canvas was set up and Tawan painted one of his signature Falcons, making massive, dramatic brush strokes. When he was done they opened the large accordion doors to the house and a big cheer went up.

Inside, there was a high ceiling and the walls were covered with mostly large paintings by Songdej. The crowd pressed forward and eventually we got inside. The work was all in acrylic and the detail was amazing. At the far end of the main room there was a unique staircase that consisted of wooden steps that stuck out from the wall. There was a bamboo handrail on the wall and nothing else. We carefully climbed the stairs to see the small bedroom that was finished in raw concrete and bamboo. I'll be posting some photos later this week. We found out that the attendees were the entire village, and also two bus loads of students from Bangkok who were attending a workshop at Tawan's compound (The Black House). It was the party of the year. There was also live music and we had a wonderful time.

Sunday we met with our friend Rachel for lunch. She brought along two young people who were visiting from the States and doing a photo project with the kids from The Sold Project. They brought a bunch of cameras on their trip and each of the children will be given one to take pictures of whatever they want. The end result should be very interesting.

Down by the river they've started constructing bamboo shelters with thatch roofs in preparation for the festivities that will take place next month during the Songkran Festival. Time to break out the flower shirts.

Have a Great Week.

Peace,
Danny

"As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live."
~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Gettin' Funky, Thai Style
www.flickr.com/photos/gratidudepics
http://blog.risingstardom.com/
www.lisamosesgallery.com