An idea originally brushed onto th walls of Phuket is now being shared around the world. Young Thai painter Mayuree’s elegant art has grown from a girl’s ambition of being an artist to living the dream, big time
By: Angus Hamilton
Some of you may have heard of Elegant Art. Others of the esteemed mural artist Mayuree (May), who has been commissioned and paid to fly internationally with her brushes to paint walls of all shapes and sizes. Her dramatic rise has truly been an explosion of Elegant Art entering the scene, but with only a few years experience under her belt, we are sure there is so much more to come.
May, the founder and creator of Elegant Art has only been in the world of professional art for the last few years. Like many of us when COVID happened, May was trapped in a new place without work. Hailing from Bangkok, May, 18 at the time, had been told her whole life to be a doctor or engineer, and if she wasn’t smart enough, to be an accountant. But she questioned this life sequence and so she endeavoured to travel around Thailand and see what else there was for her. Whilst travelling she found what she thought would be a temporary home in Phuket, but has since been based here for the last 5 years, and as an artist for the last 3.
Without any formal art schooling though, how was May able to gain so many fans and the attention of the Minor Group (painting for prestigious establishments like Anantara, Avani) and the Mandarin Oriental? Massive international powerhouses in the world of hospitality.
Although I mention her art career only started in the last few years, this isn’t quite true as seemingly May was born for the brush. Since kindergarten, she has been winning art competitions and was always the ‘kid in the corner’ painting or drawing. She was repeatably told (like many of us I’m sure) that art wouldn’t make her money, or support her and her family, but May disagreed (and thank goodness for that!).
May followed her ambitions – which led her to a successful art business – but it didn’t always come easy. Starting with a minimum wage job working behind a bar here in Phuket she was able to meet people and network, where she met artist and expat Peter Child who has been living and painting here, and who May described as a mentor figure. Peter noticed her passion for art and asked if she wanted to apprentice with him, and for three months she did, for 3,000 baht a week, before realising she had to find her own way.
As a creative, and artist, this is never easy, yet May made it look both effortless and elegant. She always treated herself as a professional and maintained this approach when she took to social media to market and promote her brand, art, and personality. She would use low-cost tools like Instagram and Facebook early on to get commissions to paint: murals, mirrors, and canvases for people’s homes and office buildings, and from there the hype never stopped.
May has since shown her range as an artist, as well as how highly capable she is. With a range of commissions from restaurants to offices and as mentioned earlier, star-studded hotels, she’s shown an ability to create art in her own way. She described her style as a meeting between nature and sophisticated elegance. Using a curated palette of soft colours, May blends and contrasts to create an eye-catching wow factor which turns heads as you walk by, and once you take a closer look, you notice the artist’s attention to detail, taking into account every level of the art; capturing textures, themes, and subtle tones to match the piece.
She has a natural affinity for both portraits and flowers; her style allows her to capture the subtle communicative aspects of portraits whilst bringing to life the vibrancy and colour of flowers and nature to create what can only be described as elegant results. But her range is truly extraordinary, if you haven’t had the chance, I have to now take a moment to say check out her portfolio. The range of styles, twists, and intricacies that each wall boasts can’t all be broken down in this article.
Of all the work she does, she says murals are her favourite, working on large as well as small-scale projects. She loves the challenge of them, and how they allow her to test her abilities as an artist. To turn a boring ol’ wall into a piece of art is a real challenge, with no frame to work in, and a scale she can’t control, yet May has managed comfortably. With every challenge thrown at her, a unique piece of art is made. Coming up she has a mural, joining the renovations of Jungceylon’s M-Social Hotel, Phuket, a wall 22 metres high, nevertheless, when you’ve had commissions for walls 86 metres tall, she can approach each wall and painting with earned confidence. This isn’t the only trendy place to spot a May painting, the new floating beach club of Phuket, Yona cruises around the island boasting a May as does lifestyle hub Blue Tree in Cherngtalay.
However, as her career has expanded, so too has her catalogue which is no longer limited to Phuket (or the boats floating around it for that matter). The Mandarin Oriental, Dubai, commissioned a May mural earlier this year and wants to fly her out again for another (what I’m sure will be) outstanding piece of work. I know that other (confidential) luxury hotels in the Middle East are also seeking her out but unfortunately, I wasn’t at liberty to find out where!
If you’d like to commission a May painting, get in line, since she’s booked right the way through next year and says she hasn’t had a day off in weeks, but that thankfully when you’re living and working your dream, it starts to feel less and less like work. She is affirmative in stating that this is only the beginning.
In the future May plans to take on new avenues and expand her artistic realm. Challenges such as interior design, fashion, and the making of her own brushes call to her. Interior design feels like a natural progression from murals; instead of designing just one wall of a room, designing the whole room itself! Whilst fashion she sees as an expression of self and personality and loves the human nature of it. A fun way of connecting with people that excites her and helps others find themselves in a way that May has. She thinks one day she may eventually become a canvas painter but for now, wonders if it suits her creative qualities. But even May is unsure what the next step in her career is, and that’s a beautiful thing.
To be able to create and explore, get out there and take on every challenge on the way, Elegant Art will paint on fuelled by the ambitions of this young, talented, Thai artist and I for one can’t wait to see the next piece.
