browse earlier work:

first mask

pencil drawings

Tanya Jill Brockelman is a Thai-American artist, born and raised in Thailand. She currently lives in Salaya, Nakorn Pathom, Thailand. 

Tanya has been making masks and faces ever since her older sister taught her how to form them out of papier-mâchè at age eleven.  Like many children, she also loved doodling and copying cartoons. In her teenage years, she attended weekend classes at Samood Thai Art School, Bangkok, receiving training in realistic drawing from Kru Sittichoke Kornnak. These weekend lessons fueled her interest in studying art seriously. In the year 2000, she graduated with a B.A. in Studio Art from Oberlin College Ohio, U.S.A.  In 2007, Tanya completed an M.F.A with a concentration in painting at Instituto Allende, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. 

Following the techniques of her first teacher, Tanya has been giving drawing classes and private lessons since 1999. As a student in college, she gave drawing tutorials to Art History majors (for credit) to prepare them for their required art classes. Later on, Tanya taught realistic drawing at Mahidol University International College, Thailand; and Instituto Allende, Mexico.

Tanya's other activities and interests include learning languages, tennis, mountain biking, scuba diving, acoustic guitar, Vipassana meditation, puzzles, and checking prickliness of cacti.