Juli Baker & Summer

Image Courtesy of The Jam Factory

The first time I saw Phaan’s artwork was on accident. I was scrolling through Instagram when her bright and colorful images caught my attention. I felt like I had discovered some kind of modern embodiment of French painter Henry Matisse, reincarnated in the hot and bustling streets of Bangkok, but with a dash of femininity and Southeast Asian flavor.

第一次看到Phaan的作品是无意间在Instagram上“滑”到的，她的作品色彩缤纷亮眼，会让人有一种Henry Matisse 活在2017年并穿梭在曼谷热闹街区作画的一种南洋感受，当然还多了一点少女情怀，实在令人难以错过这个曼谷插画艺术家的作品。

Phaan (whose real name is Chanaradee Chatrakul Na Ayudhya) is a 23-year-old artist who graduated from Bangkok’s Chulalongkun University. Despite having graduated with a major in fashion design, she realized that fashion design wasn’t as she imagined when she first began attending school: designing clothing involves much more than simply conceptualizing designs and fashion sketches. It also entails pattern making, deciding on materials, brand marketing, and sales operations. In the wake of these realizations, doubts toward her pursuit of becoming a fashion designer had begun to fester. Phaan found that she only enjoyed the early stages of the design process, such as collecting image inspirations, forming creative concepts, and penciling drafts. In her sophomore year, she took the opportunity to partake in a student exchange program to the UK where she began taking illustration courses. This affirmed her interest for illustration, and Phaan began shifting her focus towards art, but she didn’t exactly intend on abandoning fashion design as she saw that fashion and illustration were closely linked with one another.

Phaan，本名Chanaradee Chatrakul Na Ayudhya，23岁，毕业于曼谷的第一学府朱拉隆功大学，主修应用美术系的服装设计部门，对于服装设计有着强烈的喜好。在校阶段，她发现服装设计不仅仅是前端的设计发想，还有到材质选用、版型制作，甚至到后端的品牌行销及销售经营等，这样一连串的学问让她对服装设计的热诚感到有些怀疑，开始发觉自己好像比较享受服装设计一开始的灵感搜集、创意发想及设计草图绘制部分。大二那年有机会到英国交换学习，在那边修习插画课程，才更加确定自己对于插画的热情，从那个时候她更着重在插画艺术方面的创作，但仍旧不完全脱离服装设计产业，对Phaan来说，服装设计和她的艺术创作是息息相关的。

In college, Phaan already began paving the way for her future career in art, even though her work was inconsistent at the time. Depending on her mood, she switched from subject to subject on a whim. But in terms of technique, there was a sense of consistency that can be observed in her use of bold, contrasting colors and the fluidity of her lines. In junior year, she became a columnist for Thailand’s independent magazine Cheeze, where she contributed articles as a writer and illustrator. This was the first of many steps she took in becoming the successful artist that she is today. Phaan’s big break happened when she was commissioned to design the cover art for Stay at Home, an album by the Thailand-based Plastic Plastic, a highly popular local indie band. This opportunity helped her become a recognized name in the local creative community and has contributed massively to her fanbase on both Instagram and Facebook.

大学时期， Phaan就开始自己的创作生涯，作品的主题经常因为自己的心情转变，不变的是使用大胆的对比色、随性的线条，介于现实及插画间完成一幅又一幅多采多姿的佳作。大三那年，为泰国独立时尚杂志《Cheeze》撰写关于电影及服装的专栏，并为该专栏绘制插画，借此渐渐打开的人气。一直到被泰国著名的独立乐团Plastic Plastic邀约设计《Stay at Home》专辑封面后，Phaan立刻受到泰国年轻族群的瞩目，让她不管在Instagram和Facebook都拥有一票死忠追随者。

Recently, Phaan invited me to visit her studio space on the outskirts of Bangkok. The vibrant studio was quite revealing of Phaan’s child-like sense of wonder and playfulness. Inside, an entire wall is used as a mood board, covered with an assortment of visual inspirations: Polaroid snaps of daily life, rough sketches, cut-out pages of magazines, and various movie posters are all pinned up in disarray. The rest of the studio is populated with vintage furniture, toys, and various patterned textiles. The entire feel of the space, which is actually located in Phaan and her parents’ house, was warm and joyful, a feeling native to her own artistic style. Phaan shares with us that she’s always had a close relationship with her family and this has been an integral part of her creative development. Growing up, she often enjoyed watching all kinds of movies and would watch foreign films with her father. To her, a movie is like a journey. Each scene and narrative helps her to understand, or at least fantasize about, the different cultural stories and backgrounds depicted in the films. With cinema at the root of her creative interests, she felt it the name Juli Baker and Summer to be perfect for her art and crafts label. In Rob Reiner’s comedy film Flipped, the main character, Juli Baker, shared a relationship with her dad that reminded Phaan of her own relationship with her parents. As for the word “summer,” Phaan tacked that on as she felt like bright and summery vibes characterized her own art perfectly.

来到Phaan在曼谷郊区的工作室就像来到一个大孩子的房间，处处充满童趣。一整面墙宛如她的mood board，上面贴着日常生活照片、草图、杂志内页、电影海报等，工作室内摆着复古家具、玩具、充气沙发和各种花样的布料，完全和她的个性及作品相吻合，是那么地温暖、欢乐。事实上，Phaan的工作室就在她的住处内，和父母关系极为融洽的她仍和家人同住，对她来说和家人相处的和乐感也是自己创作的来源之一。受到爸爸的影响，从小就喜欢观赏各种电影，经常和父亲一起欣赏各国电影，对她来说看电影就像是旅游，由电影的场景与剧情，Phaan 可以了解或是幻想不同的文化背景及故事。电影启发了她的创作，她的网站名为Juli Baker and Summer，就是源自于Rob Reiner所执导的青少年浪漫喜剧片《怦然心動》（Flipped）。片中女主角的名字就是Juli Baker，电影里Juli Baker和她爸爸的相处模式让Phaan联想到自己和父亲的亲子关系，至于为什么后面还会加上Summer则是反映她的作品随时让人感受到阳光正面的夏日清凉感。

“In October, I plan on releasing an illustrated travel book,” Phaan shares of her plans for the remainder of the year, speaking with the same sense of optimism and excitement that’s found in her art. “As for the rest of the time, if I’m free, I’d like to travel. I want to refuel myself with a trip and find more inspiration so I can draw more for the people who like my work. For me, art is both cathartic and a medium for self-expression. I hope that my art can bring people happiness.”

问到这个年轻艺术家的下一步是什么？她笑说，”十月预计出旅游游记绘本，接下来剩余的时间就看看自己有没有机会到处旅游了。希望可以到国外充电一下，带回更棒的题材呈现给喜欢我的观众。艺术对我来说就是展现自己最佳的方式也是一种心理治疗，我希望藉由我的作品人们可以放松而有开心快乐的感觉。”这位随时充满笑容的艺术家， Phaan，如同她的画作一样，总是让人心情愉悦、充满活力。