Vehicles of the imagination

They’ve reaped their rewards for coming top in the “Toyota Dream Car Art Contest 2013” and now the nine winners, who took home Bt30,000, Bt20,000 and Bt10,000 according to placement as well as a certificate, are hoping against hope that they’ll be the one selected to represent their country in Japan next month in the international round of the contest.

The winners, who were selected from among the 35,000 schools participating in the event, are in three age categories. The first category, the under 10s, features Kaninnutch Chanchanayothin from Sukhanaree School in Nakhon Ratchasima, Tatchapol Kaewkamkong from Ban Thai Samakki School in Sa Kaew, and Pathranit Patarachon from Wat Donmuang School in Bangkok.

The winners in the 10-12 years category are Katunyu Wattanapraditchai from Kalasin Pitthayasan School in Kalasin, Jirapat Srichan from Ban Tha Tabak School in Nakhon Ratchasima and Supakorn Bunwong from Bavornratanasart School in Rayong.

Topping the list in the 13-15 category are Apisara Korprasitniyom from Assumptionsuksa School in Bangkok, Sarawut Ketchae from Aksornthepprasit School in Chon Buri, and Korapin Umsakul from Sathit Chulalongkorn Demonstration School in Bangkok.

Nine-year-old Kaninnutch has been fascinated by art since he was 5. He started by painting the animals he saw on Discovery Channel. His winning painting, titled “Rot Pithak Mahasamut” or ocean protecting car, is in colour pencil and chalk. So does this Nakhon Ratchasima youngster know so much about sea?

“I saw it in books and on the Internet,” he says. “The benefit of my dream car is that it can help the coral reefs and offer a home to breeding species of aquatic animals while collecting waste from the bottom of the ocean. The painting features a lot of fish including Nemo, the piranha and eels. I wanted my Naga (snake) to be unconventional. I love reading about Himmapan creatures.”

Katunyu, 11, adores his grandparents and goes to their home in Maha Sarakham every weekend. When his grandfather fell sick and was hospitalised, he was unable to play with the kids, which inspired the youngster to paint “Rot Khong Khun Ta Khun Yai” (Grandparents’ car) using acrylics and coloured pens.

“My grandparents are now too old to play with me and my cousins. But if they had this dream car, they would be able to do everything. Inside the dream car are several toys plus a merry-go-round and Ferris wheel. Every time the car moves, it makes the children feel happy,” says Katunyu.

Apisara Korprasitniyom, 15, whose winning poster colour work is titled “God’s Car”, says her concept is not so much the Christian God but the builder of the universe and everything in it. “God is a symbol of building the universe. My dream car is not concerned with God but is a vehicle or medium to produce water, forest, human beings, stars and the sun. This dream car produces only the human form but not the mind.

“Because everything isn’t built as yet, it is peaceful. The main colour is blue depicting peacefulness, while green represents richness. When everything is created on the Planet, it will be brighter with orange and yellow too.”