The true colours of Thailand

WHEN PANTONE announced late last year that pale pink and baby blue would dominate the design world in 2016, Thai graphic designer/artist Pairoj Pittayamatee shook his head knowingly and turned back to his task of cataloguing tones that haven’t changed for centuries – Thailand’s traditional colourways.

For the last 10 years, Pairoj has painstakingly researched the colours used in traditional paintings, khon masks and ancient textiles as well as the hues mentioned in literature and old dictionaries, particularly those penned by Jean-Baptiste Pallegoix, the vicar apostolic of Siam, in 1854 and by Dan Beach Bradley, an American Protestant missionary to Siam two decades later.

The result of his analysis has led to the development of what he calls “Thaitone”, a rich palette featuring 150 tropical shades each marked with CMYK colour codes for standard printing. Each colour is named after old Thai artisans or given a title that probably won’t be familiar to younger Thais. Among them are rueng rong, which is equivalent to gamboge, hong sabaht (light red), nam lai (sea green), khiew tangchae (green bronze) and horadan (orpiment).

His Thaitone schemes have now been developed by both industrial and SME entrepreneurs for use in interior and exterior paints, the silk industry, ceramics and the acrylic colours used by artists. The prototypes of Pairoj’s own tempera pigments and the products on which he has partnered with other business sectors are on view at the Cultural Fair currently being held on the banks of Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem near the Government House.

“Traditional Thai colours are obtained from natural pigments – plants, minerals and animals. The shades are not too vivid, but soft and muted. They are also unique. In producing them, I have combined local ‘recipes’ for the ‘cooking’ of Thai colours and set the tone that is as close as possible to the original. These colours can be easily used both in industry and in fine art and will help promote the uniqueness of our culture,” says Pairoj, who graduated with a degree in applied arts from Silpakorn University.

Pairoj began to study Thai traditional tones intensively 10 years ago when preparing his thesis on an analysis of graphic design elements reflecting Thai identity for his master’s degree in visual communication design at his alma mater. At that time, he found some 70 shades just by studying ancient mural paintings, khon masks and old dictionaries. Obsessed with the beauty of Thai shades, Pairoj continued the research for his doctorate degree, which covers aesthetic experiences from Thai colours.

“Noted textile expert Weeratham Trakulngernthai later shared his knowledge with me of another 30 shades he made himself from natural pigments. So far, I’ve collected more than 200 shades. However, only 150 shades can be adapted to the CMYK model. The rest require more development time,” says Pairoj who will complete his doctorate degree next month.

His Thaitone chart with CMYK colour codes is open for free download on the Facebook page “Thaitone” in both Adobe Illustrator and pdf formats. So far some 15,000 downloads have been made and to promote the use of Thaitone, Silpakorn University agreed three years ago to set the symbolic colours of the university and its 14 faculties in accordance with Thaitone schemes. The university’s own paint brand Silpakorn Pradit also plans to launch another line titled Sri Thai Silpakorn offering watercolour and oil tubes in 24 hues of Thaitone.

“I don’t want to keep my research project on paper. I’d far rather extend it to anyone who thinks it’s useful. These traditional colours are part of our identity and echo our strong culture as well as reflect our ties with other Southeast Asian countries.”

Pairoj is also developing a kit of natural tempera pigments in 10 primary Thaitone schemes. These come in individual glass bottles and with a bottle of gum arabic to bind the pigment. Among them are the shades sen (light red) from lead mineral oxidation, dam kamao (lamp black) obtained from the soot of burned oil or resin, rueng rong from the gamboge tree, and lychee (crimson lake) from the sappan tree. 

“They are targeted at hard-core artists and artisans who want to create works that look very much like the ancient tempera arts in terms of shades and pigments. Our pigment powders will help though the price is still relatively high,” Pairoj says.

Local brand Artistic, which produces colours for artists, has lent a hand by introducing a set of acrylic colours in 24 shades of Thaitone.

“We’re newcomers to the artist colour business and are finding it very hard to compete against other leading brands that have their own loyal customers. The Thaitone shades, however, provide alternative colour choices for artists and we try to produce acrylic pigments that are as close as possible to the ancient tempera pigments. The kit is easy to use with different colour ranges that save artists’ time in mixing and matching by themselves,” Witchu Sermsawadsri, the founder of Artistic, said at a talk on the unique charms of Thaitone late last year at Hof Art Space.

Other, larger retailers have also been caught up in the Thaitone excitement.

TOA Group, a Thai paint manufacturer, has included 24 shades of Thaitone in its business line for interior and exterior paints and these will be available through all its distribution units in coming June.

“Thailand is very rich in cultural resources but we rarely combine them in our body of knowledge. Ajarn Pairoj’s research is very useful in creating social and economic values. Thaitone has three strong points: the beautiful name of each colour, the unusual shades, and the story behind the creation of each pigment. Thaitone palettes can be transformed into industrial paints ideal for the renovation of traditional architectural structures as well as contemporary Thai houses,” says Puangpen Saengpetch, the marketing director of TOA Paint.

Phetchabun-based Chul Thai Silk, which has been producing silk yarn for more than 40 years, has also introduced an additional line of silk yarns dyed with Thaitone colours in 24 colourways and the feedback has been positive. 

“We normally follow the Western colour trends and try to present different colour palettes to our customers to meet the design forecast of each year. About 90 per cent of our customers are textile weavers and they don’t care about the Western trends because their silk is embedded with traditional elements. When we introduced the series of Thaitone silk yarns, they were delighted with the hues born from the colours of familiar natural pigments. Thai silk is associated with the root of our culture and Thaitone is our fine art,” says Radachaya Cunvong, the design manager of Chul Thai Silk.

Lampang-based ceramic studio Clay Shop has also collaborated with Pairoj to produce a set of mugs in 24 Thaitone hues.

“We’re a small studio and everything is done by hand. The most challenging part is to make the shades of coloured glaze very close to Thaitone schemes. We’re learning by doing. And because we promote the mugs via our Facebook page, interest in the unusual hues is high. I’ll continue using Thaitone colours in my ceramic jewellery and plans to open a cafe in my studio using Thaitone-hued ceramic ware,” says the studio’s Chantaralampai Harnmathee.

Pairoj is also creating a design concept for a Bangkok hostel titled Kram (Indigo) where every room will be in a different Thaitone hue.

 

COLOUR ME TRADITIONAL

The Thaitone products and prototypes are on show at the Cultural Fair, organised by the Culture Ministry, on the banks of Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem near the Government House until February 26.

To find out more, go to the “Thaitone” page on Facebook.