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Details
Acrylic paints help Pakaphong conjure the image of Lord Vishnu as it appears over the doorway to the Prasat Hin (sand tower), in the temple at Nakhonratcha Srima. According to the Hindu faith, Vishnu is a powerful deity within the Supreme Trinity. He is often depicted sleeping over the ocean's waves, on the coils of the serpent-deity Adi Sesha. Vishna protects, restores and preserves the universe and thus incarnates through many avatars. He is also known as Lord Narayana or Narai, which means "the one who dwells upon the waters."
"I want to thank everyone who has seen and appreciated my art. This is the best time of my life. I am proud of my work, and do my best to improve every day."
"My name is Pakaphong Thongkaing. When I was little, times were hard and our family experienced financial difficulties.... Only my father worked. He is a forester, a government official. My mom is a homemaker, and she looked after her three children. I am the middle child, and they call me by my nickname, Dam. My mom saved money so we could study. My older brother and I didn't get a chance to play with toys back then. He used to build houses from card boxes and he used leaves to make the roofs. Now he is an architect - and he's very cool.
"I, on the other hand, loved robots. I used to watch them on TV. I never had a toy robot to play with, so I used to sketch them out from the cartoons on TV. I have quite a collection of robot drawings! However, my mother wasn't too pleased about it. She felt I should be studying rather than drawing robots. We had quite a few discussions about it, until she banned me from drawing altogether. She wanted me to concentrate on my studies and become a government official like my dad. I understood that my mom only wanted what was best for me, so I did as she told me to do. I wanted to make her happy.
"Ever since I can remember, I've always liked to draw. I am good at delineation as well as painting human figures. When I finished junior high school, many of my friends went on to study art, but my parents didn't support my interest in art. They wanted me to finish high school, but I didn't pass the test, so they agreed to send me to Chiang Mai's Vocational School, to study photography. It wasn't exactly what I wanted, but it was near enough to art. After that I went to the Rajaphat University, to study Mass Communications.
"During this time I felt that I had lost myself and my interests. Then, toward my last year in university, I was called to military service, according to Thai draft laws. Those two years were good for me, because they helped me find myself again.
"When I finished my military service, I met an old friend from school who worked in an art-related field. He convinced me to work with him in wax icon molding and resin work. About two or three months later, I persuaded another friend to open a small studio and work from home. I worked in this field for several years, first with one friend, then with another, then back with the first one. In the end, I realized that my true passion was for painting - and I haven't stopped since.
"I've been painting professionally for two years now and during this time I've had the opportunity to paint an allegory of Buddha's life for my hometown. One part tells of Buddha, but in Brahman life. Buddha lived before as such. In my hometown there's a very old temple called Sridon Chai. It needed to be restored, but at first the government didn't have the budget for it. All the neighbors got together and somehow got enough to finance the restoration. However, when they finished the work, they realized the murals had been severely damaged. So I volunteered to restore them. This experience has taught me a good lesson; that is to make my art the best that I can and not race against anyone else, rather to challenge myself and try to improve each time.
"I have lived many good experiences that proved to me that art is what makes me feel alive and complete. Art had been missing from my life for more than ten years, and thanks to that old school friend, it came back into my life. I have learned much from very talented artists, and some lessons I have had to learn on my own. Through art, I get to know myself. I want to create the best paintings, and I want to paint for the rest of my life.
"I want to thank everyone who has seen and appreciated my art. This is the best time of my life. I am proud of my work, and do my best to improve every day."
Only valid on the Normal shipping option for shipments to 48 Lower US states.
Discounted shipping price may not be applied to previous orders.
This item ships with a free artist storycard, so you can remember who you impacted today. Customized gift messages are also available with every order.
We want you to be 100% satified with your order, so if you are not completely happy with your item, you can return it within 60 days of receiving it.
We pack, ship, certify and 100% guarantee the quality of this item. Watch this video to see how.
This item is available for backorder and will ship within 2 to 8 weeks. Artists love to get backorders. Placing a backorder ensures that the artisan will do their best to create and deliver your item to our local office for shipment.
Although we cannot guarantee availability, we do expect to be able to fill the order within the timeframe indicated. But sometimes life happens - special materials may not be immediately available to the artist, or there might be some other circumstance beyond our control that could delay the shipment.
If for any reason we are unable to ship the item within the timeframe indicated, we will notify you.
In the unlikely even that we are unable to ship the item within the timeframe indicated, we will contact you and provide an updated delivery window.
This item has a special shipping flat fee which means that due to bulk, duties, or other special requirements, the item will be shipped to you via one of our special one-rate services. Shipping is only available to the United States (lower 48 States only).
WOMEN
S
M
L
XL
XXL
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
BUST
35 - 36
37 - 38
39 - 41
42 - 44
46 - 48
WAIST
27 - 28
29 - 30
31 - 33
34 - 36
38 - 40
HIPS
37 - 38
39 - 40
42 - 43
45 - 46
49 - 50
MEN
S
M
L
XL
XXL
CHEST
36 - 38
39 - 41
42 - 44
46 - 48
50 - 52
WAIST
30 - 32
32 - 34
35 - 37
38 - 41
43 - 45
NECK
14 - 14.5
15 - 15.5
16 - 16.5
17 - 17.5
18 - 18.5
SLEEVE
32.5
33.5
34.5
35.5
36.5
FINDING YOUR SIZE
Take your measurements with the tape measure over your under garments. If your measurements fall between sizes you may prefer the next larger size. Inseam, skirt and dress lengths vary by style and will be listed in the item description. Our sweaters are knit in standard American sizes, however actual measurements vary by style.
BUST / CHEST
Measure around the fullest part of chest under the arms and over the shoulder blades keeping the tape measure level.
WAIST
Measure around the smallest part of the waist keeping the tape measure comfortably loose. Most garments use the low waist measurement noted below.
LOW WAIST
Measure around the body approximately 1.5" below the natural waist (above). This is the area where most pants and skirts actually fit.
HIPS
Standing with your heels together, measure around the fullest part of the body approx 7"-8" below the waist.
NECK
Measure around the base of the neck keeping the tape measure comfortably loose.
SLEEVE
Bend elbow slightly and starting at the center back of the neck, measure across the shoulder, to the elbow and down to the wrist.
INSEAM
Our standard inseam length for women is 32" and 34" for men; however inseam measurements will vary slightly by style.
Belts with buckles are measured in inches that correspond to a waist size however, most people do not wear belts on the waist, they wear them closer to the hips. A buckle belt measurement is take from the end of the "pin" of the buckle to the middle hole on the belt. Generally there are 5 holes for size adjustment, with a 1" space between each, so the middle hole will the be average size of the belt.
For at tie belt (no buckle) measure the belt portion end to end and half of the tie portion. This again is the medium size of the belt.
For a soft fabric tie belt it can be called "1 size fits most" and the entire length of the belt should be measured and listed.
See buckle/tie belt size standards below.
WOMEN
S
M
L
XL
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
inches
26 - 30
28 - 32
31 - 35
34 - 38
38 - 42
cm
76 - 86
81.5 - 91.5
86.5 - 96.5
91.5 - 101.5
96.5 - 106.5
+/- tolerance: 0.5 inches or 1.25 cm
MEN
S
M
L
XL
XXL
inches
30 - 34
32 - 36
35 - 39
39 - 43
43 - 47
cm
81.5 - 91.5
86.5 - 96.5
91.5 - 101.5
96.5 - 106.5
109 - 119
+/- tolerance: 0.5 inches or 1.25 cm
Sash tie length
Lay sash/tie out flat away from the garment and measure from end to end.
Belt with buckle
Measure from the end of the pin of the buckle (where it touches the buckle) to the middle hole.
Belt without buckle
Measure from the belt portion end to end and half of the tie portion. This is will give you the medium size of the belt.
Download our printable ring sizing chart to find the perfect fit!
We refer to these items as "discounted wholesale". Such items carry a deeper wholesale discount than other items, and have greater potential to provide your business with healthier resale margins.
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WIN # 1 You Save!
Handmade goods from developing nations usually pass through a series of intermediaries before being purchased by retail consumers. Each of these intermediaries adds cost to the product, and that cost is passed on to the customer. UNICEF USA partnered with NOVICA, who works directly with artists through their regional offices in Asia, Africa and Latin America, allowing purchases from UNICEF Market to go directly from the artisans to fulfilling customer orders. By skipping steps in the traditional supply chain, you can buy high quality items for less than the regular retail prices.
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Each item purchased from UNICEF Market will benefit UNICEF's programs that provide lifesaving nutrition, medicine, education, clean water, emergency relief and more to children in need.
You can learn more about UNICEF's work, on About UNICEF.
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UNICEF Market artisans set their own prices and control their own businesses. UNICEF Market offers artisans a free platform to sell their work throughout the United States.
