10 Questions w/Thitiwat

Thitiwat Phromratanapongse!!!!! The man himself!

1. Where were u born? Current city or region?

I was born in Southern California, raised in Chino Hills, and I currently reside in Oakland--a place that has had such a significant influence in who I’ve come to be. It’s my second home, my chosen home. 

2. Who is the artist or artwork that inspired u to do your first piece on a wall/canvas?

I’ve always naturally been drawn to art. My parents have pictures of me as a baby drawing on walls at my house with crayons and markers. When I was a kid I was also crushing on a girl I had art classes with so that was motivation in itself. Around sixth or seventh grade is when I first saw films like Beat Street, Wild Style, and Style Wars. I was a kid in suburbia. I didn’t fully understand what it was at the time but I just knew I wanted to do it. 

“I didn’t fully understand what it was at the time but I just knew I wanted to do it.”

-Thi  

3. How many yrs have u been painting ?

I first started to paint and take art classes when I was 9 years old, maybe 10. So that’s a little over 20 years of painting on and off. I didn’t take it seriously until about 2013. I always thought art would be a hobby, something to do for stress relief. After college I was floating around in limbo for a while until I decided to move up to the Bay Area. Then I started to volunteer at The Estria Foundation. I was so lucky to cross paths with such high-functioning and talented artists that were willing to share their knowledge. It was Erin Yoshi, Nancy Pili, and Mike “Bam” Tyau who initially schooled me to the game. I saw artists not only making a living but having a social and environmental impact from their work. That gave me inspiration. Just seeing this unlocked something in me that made me think--”I could do this too.”

4. What do folks know u for art wise? 

I like to think my high attention to detail is what people would first notice about my work. The precision of the stroke or movement is very important to me. This works as a double-edged sword sometimes because it can be difficult for me to paint loose and let things go that are not perfect. In terms of things like understanding of light, composition, refined executions, I’m definitely not as technically sound as many of the artists I look up to. As far as subject matter goes I like to paint mythological creatures. I also use this calligraphy style brush stroke motif for almost everything I paint. I use it for decoration, to form shapes, spell out words or names, it’s a flow I learned from watching fellow TYS member Miguel “Bounce” Perez.

Collabrative wall w/ Thi, Bounce, Shaun Burner, and Franceska Gamez

5. What’s something people often don’t see or understand about your work?

This is a tough question because most of the time I am unable to hear the thoughts of those who come into contact with my work. I’m usually long gone by the time a majority of the people see and process what I’ve created. The most obvious answer would be that a lot of people wouldn’t know the stories related to the characters I have painted. Oftentimes, they are Buddhism stories I’ve heard from my mom while growing up or mythologies from ancient epics. 

6. What's your medium of choice? What’s something new you’d like to try in a different medium?

It usually depends on the size of the work but I’m most comfortable with just a flat brush with some acrylic or acrylic latex paint. I have two new mediums in mind I would like to try. The first is resin casting. Being able to think and work in 3D to create sculptures and trinkets would increase my versatility and push my creativity beyond its current limit. The second medium would be tattoos. When I’m out painting murals “do you do tattoos?” is one of the questions I get asked the most. I was also offered an apprenticeship before the world fell apart. Now I think I need to pick up where I left off. 

7. Song that gets you ready to work? Song that chills you out?

The answer to this switches up about every month or so, but currently the one with the jams is definitely Sango. He’s a DJ producer from Michigan and has this Brazil-influenced style. His mixes are a fusion of different genres while maintaining a distinct upbeat dance rhythm. I feel like I always enter a “zone” when I paint to his music. If you want to have an idea of his Brazil style just look up “Me de Amor,” and “Conte a Todos.” He also remixes other songs and produces music without this Brazil influenced style that is often more chill and lounge-y that's also amazing. Most things he touches turns to gold--like Masego and Kaytranada. 

A song that always chills me out is “Sunroof” by Westside Boogie ft. Dana Williams. The vibe on it is right, bass is satisfying, the chorus hits, the content is laid back. 

8. As an artist in the game what advice do u give to younger artists in terms of biz, health, relationships, or creativity?

Growth is done in silence so put in the work even if recognition isn’t given. Use it as motivation and become so good at what you do it would be impossible for them to ignore you. They may have more luck or more skill but you will work harder. 

Time is finite, when we are young it’s each individual’s mistake thinking we will always have more. As we age we wonder how much time we have left so manage it wisely. Being an artist means you come up with your own hours of work and focus, play and recovery. The balance is different for each person so find what works for you as soon as you can. 

The goal may be to make money and survive off of your craft but the dream is the struggle. The dream is painting when people are sleeping, then waking up hurt from a long night of painting and getting up to do it again even if you don’t feel like it. The dream is realizing instead of saying “I have do this,” as artists we should say to ourselves “I get do this.” 

Most important of all, stretch every day.

“Growth is done in silence so put in the work even if recognition isn’t given” 

-Thi

9. What’s a social justice or political issue people need to pay more attention to?

Humanity has so many social and political issues that need multiple people invested in it to make an impact. They are battles that cannot be fought and won in one day. Changing a law requires multiple drafts, revisions, approvals and voting. Homelessness can be attributed to mental illness, substance addiction, wrongful eviction, domestic abuse, prison, natural disasters--there is no one-stop cure-all fix. We won’t feel the full effects of environmental justice warriors for generations. That being said, I think we need to pay more attention to issues that we can influence directly.

I’m talking about resolving generational conflict and building on family relationships. Especially with more people staying home because of Covid 19 and having an opportunity to rethink priorities. Growing up, we are always busy with school, extra curricular activities, getting a job, finding a place to live, just trying to survive. Oftentimes we fail to realize that as we grow up our parents and relatives are also getting older. Gaining the respect of the youth should be the priority because society always asks for respect from the youth. It’s only after this step that the elders can proceed to transfer the lifetime worth of knowledge into the future generation. There can also be an exchange here where the youth can educate the elders on the shift of the times. Technology, for example, will always be understood more easily by the youth and therefore more fit to teach it. Through this process a trust is built because the “top-down” hierarchy is dissolved and the youth will be more willing to take in culture, language and arts that are passed down. 

10. What’s something you’re really proud of accomplishing recently? 

My latest project was painting this corridor at Fort Mason. The initial idea for the project was to paint these 18 spaces that measured about 8’ x 10’ each, maybe a little bigger. It wasn’t one continuous wall so essentially these 18 spaces would be “mini-murals.” Then I asked if I could paint the loading dock and the skybridge connecting the two buildings. I was going to be the first person to paint Fort Mason so I wanted to go big. When I was proposed the project I was wide-eyed and wanted to paint everything even though I was creating more work for myself. Little did I know this would be my greatest challenge to date. The space was just so vast and I was with just one other person working on it. Simply put, the conditions were just brutal--a war of attrition. The wind tunnel between the buildings often pushed my brush off it’s line and made aerosol paints frustrating to use. There was no end to the cold or the wind. Ever. It was like having a cold entity slightly pushing me for hours while trying to paint. Standing in the wind for an hour or two isn’t bad but standing in cold wind for over 10 hours a day for multiple weeks in a row almost broke me. It’s been about a month since the opening of the show, and my shoulder is still in pain from keeping my arm locked in paint-position for so long.

Considering the challenges, the scale, and subject matter of the project, it has to be my proudest work to date. My partner and I spent over a month slaving away every day trying to finish. I’m hella proud of her, she was there every day I was. The imagery was a lot of Thai mythological creatures from stories my mom told me as a kid. I have also seen some of these figures as sculptures at places of worship and painted on temple walls in Thailand. There were also Thai inspired patterns and intricate details that required high focus and attention to detail. Also, in my 8-9 years of painting in the Bay Area, this project was the first time I ever invited my parents to see my work. Having them there made the opening so special. Of Course they were proud of me but just having their presence made me feel whole and all the pain and struggle was worth it.

To see more of Thi’s work follow him on Instagram or go to his website. Stay tuned for more interviews with our members and more posts.

If you missed the last interview w/ Vyal check that out here.