Thailand heritage inspires art

An artist featured at Mt. Hood hopes to take those who view her paintings to a forgotten time and way of life, garnished by memories and colorful scenery.

Fasai Streed, 43, who hails from Thailand, is the latest artist to have her work displayed in the Fireplace Gallery. The watercolor collection she has offered is titled “The Old Siam,” made up of 11 scenes that represent the Siamese/village life from a past era.

The paintings are named for the timeless activities they depict, such as harvesting, fishing and basket weaving. “I am old, and old people always live in the past,” said Streed.

Streed said her favorite paintings are “Fishing” and “Harvest.”

“I love ‘Harvest’ because of the bright orange color and ‘Fishing’ because it’s very simple in composition in the real life.”

She said the first thing that she wants people to think when they see her paintings is, “Ooh, that is colorful.” On her website Streed describes her watercolor style as, “The bold paired with colors that are sometimes intense and sometimes subtle combine as visually crisp, clean and noticeable images suitable for viewing near and far.”

She also wants to provoke questions such as, Where is this from? What country are they in?

When pricing her paintings, Streed said she takes into account factors such as how much time was spent and how many materials were used. She also said that an artist must come to the original idea when pricing his or her art: “Is this very unique? Is this something that you can’t find anywhere else? Can you go to another gallery and see the same thing?”

Streed said these paintings took around three weeks to produce. She also said it’s very easy to tell when a piece is finished, especially with watercolors. “You might add little bit of background or add a little bit of shadow. If you add too much, it won’t be good.”

She was inspired to make these pieces for many reasons. “My mom painted about this… It was what I saw and learned to do (draw and paint with her), so I know them well enough to do by myself,” she said.

When Streed was young, she lived with her grandmother in the Thai countryside and saw a lot of scenery similar to that in her paintings. “Many things I saw don’t exist anymore,” she said. “It’s good to be documented by painting.”

Streed said one of the reasons she loves painting is that it reminds her of her mother, who taught her how to draw and paint when she was little. “I still remember her painting at four in the morning,” she said.

That relationship was not always the best, she added. But, with age and moving to another country with no family or friends, she now realizes how hard it was for her mother to raise two daughters on her own: “I appreciate what she did for me.”

Streed lived in Thailand all her life until she moved to the United States in 2008. When she moved here, she had trouble finding a job and didn’t know that many people. “I started painting because that was the only thing I could do on my own and not have to rely on anyone else,” she said.

That was when she began getting serious about being an artist.

Streed said that she misses her home country “every day” but makes time to visit once a year. She is wistful, but also content to make her home here, she said. “I love living here, but I still miss Thailand.”

Besides painting, Streed also is a Zumba fitness instructor.

In the future, Streed hopes to stage more exhibits and become a well-known artist. “Maybe one day I can price my paintings at $1,000,” she said.