Sculpture is an ancient art form in Thailand. It flourishes today as it has expanded and changed with the changes in culture and the appearance of new materials. Thai sculpture is recognized throughout the world and Thai artists are, in turn, especially interested and influenced by the classical sculpture of Europe as well as Asia. One such artist is Natee Tubtimthong, a highly educated, working sculptor and teacher. JY. Tell us about yourself. NT. I started studying art with my father who is a primary-school art teacher. I regard him as my first art teacher, especially in sculpture. My mother is a saleswoman. She is an inspiration for diligence and patience. I have three siblings. My second younger brother works in advertising and the younger one is studying art as well. After I graduated from junior high school In 1993, I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in sculpture from Silpakorn University at the Faculty of Painting (Faculty of Painting Sculpture and Graphic Arts) and a Master's Degree from the Faculty of Painting in 2007.    JY. How has teaching affected your artistic work? NT. I started teaching as a part-time lecturer at Sripatum University in the Faculty of Architecture. Digital Art (faculty name and affiliation at that time) while still studying for a master's degree by teaching the basics of art: Art Composition and Modern Art. Later, I was persuaded to be a special lecturer at Bunditpatanasilpa Institute in the field of sculpture, Faculty of Fine Arts in 2009. Since then, I have been teaching in the field of sculpture. In 2013, I was awarded a scholarship from the Italian government to study arts in Italy for nine months. So I chose to study sculpture in Florence at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze. After returning from Italy, I returned to teach at the sculpture department Faculty of Fine Arts Bunditpatanasilpa Institute as before, joining as a full -time lecturer in the program and working together to push forward the teaching methods of sculpture with professors in the field. Initially, I was interested in making classical sculptures which can be called Academic style. I also love to travel. Travel to explore various art and cultural sites both domestically and internationally, including exploring and traveling in various natural places. It's really my regular job. It could be called a full-time artist, i.e., a full-time sculptor. As for the teaching job, it is my favorite part of the job and it plays a very important role in my personal development. JY. Tell us more about the influence of your teaching and academic work on your artistic work. NT . As mentioned earlier, I am interested in classical sculpture or academic sculpture as a foundation, but my art work combines academic characteristics with modern styles and a contemporary approach. Together with the the geometry of objects or appliances they have various meanings, to convey inspiration and ideas. Since my home and my life have always been close to the train station, I merged a train chair with the people I knew waiting for the train. I combined the complexity of the structure I created with those portraits to create a picture which in 2006 won a sculpture bronze medal at the 52nd National Art Competition. I am telling about my own life in the past, 3-4 years in this piece. It is my most favorite work in many years of work. I started teaching art at a private university, which initially wasn't teaching much in my field of study. I started by teaching the basics of art. It was an experience that made me see the talents of many children who do not know how capable they are. It made me think that people can improve if they have enough determination. Studying art can develop skills and develop thinking into a career. After that I was transferred to be a special lecturer at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Bunditpatanasilpa Institute. There I began to talk with faculty members in the field of study. I designed a course that can seriously develop people and see real results. It emphasizes Academic principles, which may seem at odds with the current trend of teaching art. But the experience of teaching for many years, showed me that students, if they have knowledge, have good basic skills and are not worried that they will develop ideas, do indeed develop styles for contemporary artistic society in the present trend. which must consist of knowledge and understanding of other sciences as components such as art history, social sciences, archaeology, philosophy, economics, etc. These are all my urges to research, explore, find new experiences to confirm the possibility of teaching and learning. It gave me confidence in answering questions or giving students confidence in their approach and career as a sculptor. When I received a scholarship from the Italian government to study at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze, it came as a break from studies. I spent most of my time traveling to see art in museums across Europe. Beyond Italy I spent months traveling alone to gain as much experience as possible. After returning from Italy, I also planned to travel back to Europe regularly. At least once every two years to visit the exhibition. Venice Biennale held in Venice, and have the opportunity to visit other museums as well. I am planning a project to visit other important cultural sites such as Indian, Chinese, Greek, and the influence on those arts and cultures in other regions such as Cambodia, Indonesia or in Thailand itself. In 2022, I traveled to Pakistan to explore archaeological sites. Visited various art objects at Taxila including traveling north from Taxila, especially in the Indus Valley to experience the cultural context, geography, climate. I think coming to the place where those cultures actually occur can create a strange perception not just seen in books or in museums far from the origins of that culture. In October this year I went to Cambodia to explore Khmer art, especially the temples in Siem Reap, Kampong Thom and other cities further afield. And of course, the cultural sites in the country are places that I regularly visit. JY. What about your primary concepts and the materials you use? NT. If it is a material at the process level, it may be clay, wax, plasticine, and maybe most of all plaster. To be metal, bronze is mostly used, but at the level while still studying, I used very inexpensive materials, combined with metal or sandstone materials. My art works can be divided into two groups. The first group is skill work or sculpture work, animal sculptures which is my favorite work. After doing it, I feel satisfied. There is no need for complicated ideas or concepts. Most of these works are cast in bronze material. Or I make a plaster model to keep in order to be used as a model for further stone carving. Another part of my work is contemporary work that combines the classical or academic style that I like with modern ideas: a view towards society, a perspective on things that happen or expressing my thoughts on things that I feel. This part of the work is an attempt to harmonize what I like with what I feel or would like to comment on. It's a job that I'm quite careful about and try to convey as best as possible. It will be a job that takes quite a long time and has a relatively high budget. Work in this section is targeted at permanent materials such as bronze. As for marble or other permanent materials, due to time and cost constraints, I will work on these as prototypes for easier handling in the future and have plans to showcase in a solo exhibition coming soon. JY. What are some of your major influences? NT. I am fond of ancient Greek, Roman and Indian sculptures, especially Donatello's early Renaissance works. I find that Donatello's work is a role model for many later artists who are very special. Another one is Antonio Canova in the Neo-Classic period. Classic simplicity for different content or interest, including Canova, is also an example of knowledge transfer. Another foreign artist that I admire is Ai Weiwei, a contemporary Chinese artist who has ingenious ways of expressing ideas. No matter how advanced techniques of art are used, they may be used to create perfect art objects, or bring the perfection of the greatness of the art. Another is Damien Hirst, a British artist who has been successful for a long time. JY. What are the parallels between your art and your teaching? NT. What I want to convey to students or artists who are developing themselves is I want art workers to be open to accepting new things. In my sense, even those things that are very old. For example, I am interested in ancient civilizations, history and traditional techniques. We can apply these things to contemporary art presentations. If we can connect history to our way of thinking, to contemporary concepts I think presenting contemporary art will be very interesting. In my journey, I am always on the lookout for these things in societies around the world, accepting and honoring things that happen especially in diverse cultures. It can be a creative driver for an artist or creator to progress. I love photography and always try to hone my skills in this field. Of course I may not be a professional photographer but I think from the perspective of a sculptor, or an art worker, in terms of the emotion that I feel about a thing and try to capture that in a photograph. Natee Tubtimtong Born - November 14,1977 Address - 109 Ladgrabang Road, Ladgrabang,Bangkok 10520 Tel - +6689-104-9927 Email - tubtimtong@hotmail.com Education 1996 - The College of Fine Arts, Bangkok 2002 - B.F.A, Sculpture, Silpakorn University 2007 - M.F.A, Sculpture, Silpakorn University 2013 - Scholarships granted by the Italian Government to study sculpture at Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze, Italy. Exhibition 2002 - The 19th exhibition of contemporary art by Young Artists on the occasion of "Silpa Bhirasri Day", Silom Galleria. 2003 - Mini sculpture Exposition 2003 20th Anniversary of The Thai Sculptor Association, Silom Galleria. 2004 - Krung Thai Sculpture Exhibition,Art and Culture Center, Silpakorn University Sanamchandra Campus - Stock Market of Thailand Sculpture Exhibition. 2006 - The 52nd National Exhibition of Art. 2007 - "Dichan Magazine"Sculpture Exhibition, Central World, Bangkok. 2008 - The 54th National Exhibition of Art. 2014 - Art Exhibition "Ravana Nightmare" at Subhashok Art Center - The 60th National Exhibition of Art. 2015 - Sculpture exhibition "5 Questions Forms" at National Art Gallery, Chao Fa Road. 2016 - Sculpture exhibition "Subcutaneous Infrastructure" at Bridge Art Space, Bangkok. Award/Honors 2002. - 2nd Prize, Silver Medal, The 19th Exhibition of Contemporary Art by Young Artist. 2006 - 3rd Prize, Bronze Medal,The 52nd National Exhibition of art. 2007 - 2nd Prize,Sculpture Competition in The 30th anniversary of "Dichan Magazine". 2007 - Research Support Scholarship,Graduate School, Silpakorn University. 2009 - General Prem Tinsulanonda Statesman Foundation Scholarship for art creation. 2012 - Scholarships granted by the Italian Governmen to study sculpture at Accademia di Belle Arti di firenze, Italy.