Longtails in Phuket
Title: "Longtails in Phuket"
by Jay Koka, © 2021
44”w x 34”, acrylic on canvas, Artist Collection
No armchair traveller, Jay Koka has actually been to the worldwide locations featured in his paintings. The COVID19 outbreak of 2020 created opportunities to create fine art work that is not directly related to automobiles. The cancellation of all major shows resulted in much welcomed time to explore these themes as well as painting "styles".
A 2017 trip to the Thai peninsula resulted in first, the 2018 painting "Welcome to Patong Beach" and now "Longtails in Phuket".
The magnificent beach and nearby dock is crowded with these boats called "long-tails". Named because of the exceptionally long drive shaft leading to the prop...as much as 2 meters or more...creating the appearance of a "tail" while in motion. The engine (with prop shaft) can be rotated 180 degrees as shown in this work to store the assembly while docked.
This wide arc of motion also makes them exceptionally maneuverable. The engines are mainly secondhand car and truck engines making purchase and ongoing maintenance economical. Hugely popular, they are not however unique to Thailand, seen throughout Southeast Asia.