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Soidao's Royal Collection

"My name is Soidao Ruangrung. I was born in 1970 and grew up with three brothers and sisters in a village dedicated to handicrafts. I design the motifs and shapes of my products following traditional lines but I also try not to lag behind my competitors by creating new lines too.

"I also assist my husband in carving the objects at home, and when they are complete I take them to the workshop where I decorate them, along with five of my relatives. We work together in a good atmosphere; we never rush to finish a piece, just taking our time to carefully shape each piece and decorate it with oil paints, putty, mirrors, and gilt.

"We have been crafting these products for a few generations. My elder sister and I learned our craft at a very early age from our parents, who learned it themselves from their parents. And I am now passing it slowly to my daughter so she can take over our shop, and she will hopefully pass it on to her own children. I am proud to teach her my craft for she seems to really like it, I think. But I also want her to study for as long as possible and graduate, because nowadays to earn a decent living one must study at school. Then it will be her call to decide what to do.

"Since I'm married, I also have to take care of my daughter and the household chores. But it is not a drag, for I love my family and also love being at home. In my spare time I experiment with new cooking recipes and have my family taste and assess them. Having a good relationship with every member of my loving family, raising my child, discussing with my husband and my parents, these are all endless sources of happiness.

"My family and I are pleased to present our handcrafted objects to the world through Novica. I would like to add that we do make our products ourselves, by hand."

After a piece has been hand-carved it is fired at low temperatures for one or two days and then polished with sandpaper. Ruangrung then applies a few coats of pure lacquer before creating the relief decoration starting with a form of putty made from lacquer sap mixed with clay, sawdust or ash. Gilt and oil paintings are also utilized in the creation of the intricate floral patterns which are applied unto the piece before the lacquer dries. To complement the design, Ruangruang applies multicolored glass spangles and finishes with one last lacquer coating which serves to "bind" everything together. The piece is left to dry thoroughly for a considerable amount of time before being washed and polished with powdered fired clay. This gives it a characteristic gleam, resulting in a piece of furniture of regal allure and exquisite fascination.