THE STUDY OF PHETCHABURI CRAFTSMANSHIP WISDOM

Abstract

The Research of Phetchaburi Craftsmanship Wisdom for Creative Design Application project aims to study on Thai wisdoms and arts to appropriately apply to product design and to enhance craftworks by combining modern processes. The groups used for this research were nine Phetchaburi craftsmen form eight craftsmanship including stucco art, gold lacquer and gilded black lacquer art, Thai mural painting, banana stalk carving (Thaeng yuak), paper engraving, Khon-mask making and animal-head sculpting. Statistics used for analyzing data are percentage, mean and standard deviation and found that;
1. Both Phetchaburi male and female craftsmen have approximate mean; 55.6 for male and 44.4 for female. Both age ranges are in 41-50 years old and their educational backgrounds are between Secondary School to Bachelor Degrees. Most craftsmen from the craftsmanship inherited wisdom from their family and have passed the wisdom to their children continuously. Some craftsmanship, however, would be lost due to the lack of a successor. The characteristics of the current craftworks are both conservation and reconstruction which are mainly focusing on work improvement. Many learning centers have been established with skilled lecturers ,and there has been added as a course in educational institutions.
2. There are two types of materials used in craftsmanship ,including main ingredients which cannot be replaced by others and secondary ingredients which can be substituted by others.
3. There are two types of works in Phetchaburi craftsmanship — a conservation work with a narrative style which is a creative work of Lord Buddha stories according to Thai traditions ,and a craftwork invention to be used as a decoration.
4. For Phetchaburi craftsmanship uniqueness, it was found that the stucco works have asymmetrical patterns. There is a swaying pattern known as leaf wrapping (Hor Bai), and there is a long and swaying style throughout the patterns. The banana stalk carving works (Thaeng yuak works) have a plumper pattern. It is because when the time has passed over, the banana stalk shrinks so that this makes its patterns beautiful. Khon-mask making identity is in drawing which is not much in details, emphasizing in drawing lines with a lot of striped texture and thick patterns. In lacquering works, the distinct uniqueness is drawing with twisted line patterns (Bid Hor Lai) to create dimensions and swaying with patterns. The uniqueness of Thai mural painting is using warm color tones with drawing a line without drafting to make a free pattern. In paper engraving, the identity is a paring chisel (Sil Med Tang) which the characteristics are curved at the end and back without grooves so that it can allow smooth and continuous patterns. In gold lacquering, its identity is in techniques and elaboration in patterns composition.