Tell us a bit about yourself, your background, and the work you do.
My name is Ariungerel and I live with my husband and our daughter in Cambridge. I am self-employed property manager as well decorating furniture in Mongolian ornaments. I also volunteer and am one of the charity trustees for CAMDA. (www.camda.co.uk).
Many years ago, if you had a university degree and spoke Russian, your future looked promising as it was a normal requirement to start any career path you wish to take. But this has changed after the breakdown of communist regime in my country in 1990 and my parents believed, Mongolia was in an urgent need of people who spoke English rather than Russian. This is how I came to England on February 1995 after graduating from State Pedagogical University of Mongolia on the previous summer.
How long have you been making those beautiful boxes?
Couple of years ago we refurbished one of our spare bedrooms where I found a small wooden box that I kept to paint. Once I had decorated the box I loaded a before and after picture and since then I have not stopped painting. The orders kept coming thick and constant until this day.
Can you tell us a bit about the symbols painted on them?
Each of the Mongolian symbols on furniture has a great meaning. Most popular one is the lions and they need to be painted in pairs. If you paint one lion on one box, you have to have another box that painted another lion or you could just paint two lions on one box. Legend says that the lions protect your family and property from a bad karma.
Do you have a favorite piece from what you’ve made?
I have been commissioned to decorate to give a brand new life to a dining table for a lady in London. She had this 1960’s table that has sentimental value to her and her family but wasn’t really fitting in well with the other furniture in her home. It took me almost month and half to complete the job, mainly waiting the paint to dry to put next colour on, I absolutely loved doing it. Now it displays in heart of her home and she only uses it on special occasions.
Who inspires you the most, and why?
Many people. To name the few, my grandmothers, my parents, my husband and my daughter.
Ever since I was a child my mother used to tell us many stories about her childhood, especially about her mother, my grandmother. Later in my life when I faced with many hardships, those stories kept me going.
I have had a very loving and happy childhood. My parents were so successful for everything they did in their life socially and professionally and injected every penny they had, into our education.
How else do you express your creativity?
I love sewing. When buying clothes I’ll know exactly how I can change them, so most of my clothes are altered.
How can readers order find out more about you and/or your artwork?
All my products can be viewed on my Facebook page
Alternatively you can contact me on ariunaa1@al.com .
Here are UYD we are always curious about how people use their difference to make a difference so how do YOU use your difference to make a difference?
Though I was born and brought up Mongolia, England is my home now. Here I met my first love, here, I set up my first home that I call my own, here, my only daughter was born and here, belong half of my heart. But, of course the other half will always be for Mongolia.
The world is getting smaller and human race is constantly mixing. So, regardless of where you were born, where you live now and how you look, we should never judge one another by their race and nationality. After all we all live in one world and this is where we all belong.
