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A patchy but highly artistic career
Josephine Rangson is a magician who makes beautiful pieces of usable, highly functional art out of things others discard. Had she been born English, she would have been one of the original Wombles of Wimbledon Common, such is her ability to make good use of the things she finds, things the everyday folk leave behind.
On our first meeting, I just had to buy one of her 100% recycled tote bags. Not only was it functional and saving the environment from the burden of extra landfill: it was a beautiful, unique, handmade piece of art I was happy to sport on my arm. As I told Jo proudly, not everyone gets to have a Rangson limited edition in their collection. And on our second meeting, I bought another one lest my daughter try to steal mine.
Recommended to me by Mona de Brot, my previous interviewee in the People of Hua Hin series, Jo was an absolute delight to chat with. It’s not often you meet someone and feel like you’ve known them for most of your life. But this was indeed my first impression on being welcomed into their lovely, airy, riverside home by Jo, a Malaysian by birth, and her Thai husband Jume, who she met in a pub in Malaysia around 35 years ago, over her first ever alcoholic drink.
Jo moved to Hua Hin in 2019, just before the Covid-19 pandemic kicked off in earnest, and soon found herself in lockdown, something that was, for her, a blessing in disguise. Because she had embraced the lifestyle of a retired person by that point, she was happy to work from home, finding that her creativity was somehow boosted while the world seemed to stand still. She began to mentor others through the internet and on social media, developing her own enhanced skills in guiding others at the same time. Whether it was advice on how to complete a quilting project, to select materials or even to deal with problems with their sewing machines, Jo gave of herself freely. She learnt how to assist more mature people to feel comfortable using new technology to follow their own passions.
The lifestyle of Hua Hin is a perfect match for Jo. Born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, she appreciates living here outside a metropolitan environment, with easy access to the mountains and the beaches, with great food to choose from or cook herself, and an atmosphere conducive to meeting new people. Jo seems to make a new friend each time she goes out to a café for breakfast or lunch. She has an animated face and an open, friendly nature that draw people to her. New people are just friends she still hasn’t had the opportunity to meet, it seems. Jo needs to communicate with others, to make connections and to listen to other people’s stories, good or bad, happy or sad. She is very much a people person.
One thing that does concern Jo about Hua Hin is the issue of rubbish. She believes that many locals don’t understand that the pollution they create today is a long-term issue that will haunt them, and would love to see the government develop a campaign to raise awareness and develop a greater environmental consciousness in the general populace.
Although she was creative from very early on in her life, pursuing a career in the creative arts was never an acceptable option for a child in her family. She trained at university then followed a career in the engineering sciences, even though she strongly suspected that this was not where her passion lay. Looking back now, she would advise her teenage self to believe in herself, to go with her gut and to be braver.
Jo’s first foray into a creative occupation was as a florist, but this was not long-lived as she found she had an allergy to certain common flowers. She has practiced many types of creative arts over the last 30 years, but her greatest passion has been for fibre art, and in particular working with recycled materials which are rescued from landfill.
Wherever she has lived in the world, Jo has tried to find and use local resources. Here in Hua Hin, she developed a relationship with a woman who sells linen clothing. First Jo became a customer and now she pays for the transport of off-cuts and scraps from the fashion house to her home. These linen pieces are used in many of the products Jo makes, such as quilts, throws and carry bags. For the carry bags, the beauty of the linen is contrasted and joined with the strength of construction material to ensure durability and sturdiness. It was the contractor responsible for the building of her home who showed Jo how to source the non-standard or misprinted construction material she now uses in storage bags and laundry bags as well.
According to Jo, the greatest achievement of her artistic career has been the validation of her work that she has received from other artists, particularly through her Instagram account. One artist she mentioned in particular is Zak Foster, an American quilter who uses clothing and other personal items from a deceased person to make memory quilts for their grieving family members. Jo re-iterated to me several times that quilting, as she does it, is a highly personal thing. She works with fibre and other materials in a freeform, individual and quite unconventional way, each piece she makes a genuine labour of love.
For each family member of the subsequent generation, whether it be her own daughters, nieces and nephews or even close friends, Jo has created and gifted a quilt as they have left their family homes. The quilt is the physical embodiment of the love she sends off with them, a potent symbol as they move through this rite of passage into adulthood.
Jo is quick to acknowledge that, like any person, she has strengths and weaknesses. When asked to describe herself in just 3 adjectives, she stuck with creative, happy and sincere, and to my mind, these words are well-chosen. She cites being stubborn as a personal weakness, as she doesn’t readily take advice from others, preferring to go with her gut, and admits she has bad business sense when it comes to giving things away for free and not charging prices sufficient to compensate for the time involved. She admits her best friend and her adult daughters, an aviation interior designer and a passionate pastry chef, would say she is a pushover. Clearly, creative genes are strong in this family.
Believing that her creativity is definitely improving with age, Jo has no plans to stop pursuing her fibre art and quilting, and will be doing it until she is no longer able. She can’t live without her sewing kit. When involved in a project, time feels like it flows around Jo, not touching her, until she or the family need feeding, of course.
Hua Hin and surrounds will be able to see Jo’s works in her upcoming exhibition tour. Starting in October and continuing through high season, Jo’s art will be showcased in a number of local cafes, one each month, for a period of 4 days. Those interested will also be able to sign up for a 3-hour workshop costing just 500 baht, where they will be guided in making a framed patchwork wall art to take home or gift to a friend. According to Jo, quilting is in danger of becoming a dying art, and she hopes through her exhibition to promote a greater understanding and appreciation of handmade products, and how they are superior to commercially made ones.
One thing that has touched Jo to her very core is that a recipient of one of her earliest quilts, now many years later, with a family of her own, has returned it to Jo for repairs to be made. It is clearly a treasured item that the owner wants to ensure remains in the family for many years to come.
Jo is still aiming high. She wants to live in a 100% natural environment and climb a mountain, a feat just accomplished by one of her daughters, though she is aware that this opportunity may well have passed her by. She would like to travel again to New Zealand, her favourite place in the world, because of its pristine wilderness. On a fine day, you will likely find her somewhere appreciating the outdoors, a glass of wine in one hand, a platter of homecooked nibbles on the table, and a group of laughing friends nearby. Just a tip though. If you are invited, get there at the appointed time, or have a good explanation. Punctuality is essential if you want to keep Jo smiling and happy. Oh, and put away the phone. No screens at an event, ever!
First published in huahin.loca;ity.guide on September 3, 2022
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