Seeing the art in Kuala Lumpur was good as much of it had been unexpected. I was glad to be leaving the city though. Since leaving Taos in June, I had been in cities or urban areas the entire time. Going from San Francisco, to Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur was good for seeing lots of different art. Now, I wanted to go to a more rural area so I could concentrate on my own painting.

I had heard from several people about an island in the Gulf of Thailand called Koh Pha-ngan. A quick search on the internet for this island turned up plenty of pictures, so it was easy to get an idea of the scenery. One bus from Kuala Lumpur brought me to Hat Yai and a second one to Suratthani on the western coast of the Gulf. A three-hour boat ride finally brought me to Koh Pha-ngan.

The island has over five thousand bungalows most of which were filled! Fortunately, a travel agent in Suratthani recommended the OK Bungalows run by Mama OK. The place was just for painting – it has beaches, ocean and plenty of tropical plants and trees – exactly what I had been looking for. The first scene that drew my attention was a set of stairs at one end of the beach. They became the subject of this first painting from Thailand:

Next: The painting continues in Thailand