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Surapon

"My name is Surapon Asawasetkowit and I was born on September 16, 1961. Arts and crafts have been in my heart ever since I was a young kid. At school, I always got the best grades in art subjects. I also like inventing things following my own ideas, without any guidance or influence. In addition, I love horses; they are such beautiful and wild animals. I enjoy reproducing their majestic bodies and their stance. Therefore, after graduating with a bachelor degree in social sciences and anthropology, I decided to dedicate myself to carving wood handicrafts. I set up a workshop and my first piece took me about eight months to design and carve. Thereafter, I developed new designs including statuettes, rocking, and swinging horses.

"I have been quite successful, perhaps because I pay particularly attention to quality, and because I am the only person to make this kind of items in Thailand - indeed to prevent unauthorized copying, I have each design copyrighted.

"I also believe that in life, we should do our duties to the best of our abilities. We should have a goal and try to reach it. Although there will be obstacles along the way, we should keep the enthusiasm and confidence to finally reach it one day. I do things I want to do, and I like challenge. Once I set my mind on something, I will put love and all my skills into it, and the outcome is consequently always satisfying, which of course makes me proud.

"Regarding the future, I plan to keep on developing new products while preserving quality and the products' uniqueness. I am proud to present to the world products that demonstrate the exceptional skills of Thai artisans. I try to craft the best products possible. So if you have any problems regarding quality or other, please contact me through Novica and I will do everything possible to please you. In advance, thanks for your interest and thanks for your purchase."

Surapon Asawasetkowit's fine craftsmanship and quality is highly recognized and was awarded the Chiang Mai OTOP Product Champion First Grade (2003), after receiving five stars in the OTOP competition which included district, provincial and regional levels.

OTOP refers to the One Tambon (sub-district) – One Product project, created by the Thai Prime Minister to develop and promote local handicrafts.