Flower Offerings by Kay Sirikul
In this interview, I chat with watercolor painter Kay Sirikul, based in Manhattan, NY. Born in Thailand and living in New York, Kay discusses the city's vibrant art community and its influence on her work. Kay also shares her process for creating ethereal flower paintings as well as the importance of meditation to her art practice.
Hi Kay! Tell me about your background and where your creative journey began.
I grew up with the love of art, which was encouraged by my parents during my childhood. When I was in Thailand, after I graduated, I worked as a freelance designer. I loved traveling to other places outside of where I lived in Bangkok and kept finding ways that I could work while spending time in other towns, mostly near the beach. I always had my watercolor tools with me and used watercolor to record my memories and the impressions of nature around me.
I continued doing my art when I moved to New York. The art world here inspired me to push myself further into the art community and encouraged me to show my work to the public. I became a full time artist. My artwork developed a deeper meaning since I moved to New York.
Your paintings of watercolor flowers immediately stood out to me as they verge on abstraction. While parts of the flower are painted representationally, the rest appears to be washed out under layers of color. Can you tell me about your process and what inspired this series?
I used to paint things around me as my memories, so most of my early paintings are more realistic and representative. I’ve also always practiced meditation and the philosophy of Buddhism. The two things began to merge. I began to see the form of nature as a metaphor of lives. The more I paint, the more I connect to myself and the painting rather than focusing on the reality of the object that I am painting.
The process of my painting begins from meditation and finding the connection between forms of nature around myself at the time — either real objects or photographs — and the stories that come into my mind. I pay attention to the object that I paint, color and materials in the beginning and then it naturally shifts to the inner thought and I let everything flow from that process. I allow the drip and marks to happen as an acceptance of imperfection.
What led you to focus on watercolor as your primary choice of medium?
I love the simplicity and lightness of watercolor and the way you can control and can’t control it. Also, watercolors have a certain uniqueness of colors that blend together and a stroke that can’t be replicated with other
mediums.
In addition to your flowers, you created a series of paintings depicting Guanyin, the female buddha. What inspired you to create this work, and what do you hope viewers will take away from this series?
My Guanyin series started from the concept of my solo exhibition “Flower Offering” at AG Gallery. I wanted to create a sacred space through installation, something that I feel in my studio. The repetition of the works in the series was emblematic of my meditative practice. I painted Guanyin's face repeatedly, from memory, in periods of around 30 minutes daily as a meditation session. The paintings of the Guanyin series were intended to provide calmness and highlight a sanctuary of female energy. I also exhibited flower paintings in that show, where each of the flower paintings represented individual positives based on the type of flower.
How has your work shifted and evolved over the years?
My work is shifting toward abstraction, repetition, and combinations of methods and materials such as fabric and sewing. I’m trying to use more local materials and natural products. Evolution-wise, I’ve become more interested with what happens within the form than the form itself. The forms have become containers, in a way. My paintings are reacting to the surfaces, materials, strokes, and the act of painting. I’ve been going where it takes me.
How has living in New York City influenced your life and work?
New York has changed me to become more confident in being myself and my work is the result of that. I am also very grateful to have gotten to know so many fellow artists, and to be communicating with them verbally and visually. New York is blessed with an amazing community of incredible artists.
What advice would you give to emerging artists who are hoping to find success in the art world?
I always believe in faith. Be faithful to who you are and have faith in your work. Knowing that you can create something meaningful — either for others or yourself — is the key of success or happiness. Success is very abstract or unreal because it’s a shifting term. I think happiness is what we should focus on.
When did you join Instagram, and how has it impacted you as an artist?
I can’t remember when I first started but I think I've used it since it first came out. Mostly, in the beginning, I just posted pictures of flowers, places, and dogs to share with friends and the instagram community. Then later it became a good tool for me to connect to other artists and art lovers. I love keeping up with what my fellow artists are doing in their studios, and I appreciate the immediate feedback that I can get about what I am doing in my studio.
Follow Kay at kaysirikul
Website: www.sirikulpattachote.com