The Ship

I wasn't quite sure what style this painting will take when I started, as I was only intent on superimposing two images - one of a distant port city, with streaking light reflections and a twilight sun - the other, a ship inspired by a picture taken in Jeju. 

In the end, when I fused the two, it became a surreal abstract piece and the vessel evolved into a skeletal outline of imagination, nothing like the original. An artist commented that the piece is very Chagall. Interpret it how you will.  I have decided I like it the way it is and am leaving it at that. 


Title: The Ship 船 (O101)
Description: Surreal abstract painting of a ship at sea, departing from a port city in the night, with a red twilight sun, dramatic vibrant tones and hues, and a dreams style reminiscent of Chagall. Jeju Notes 2014.
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 76 x 76cm.
Purchase at: yen.artfire.com

Spanish Vignettes

Just created this slide video for my Spain Vignettes photography 2011 and paintings 2011-2012 collection, brings back a lot of fond memories about the Spanish cities and towns. Starting with B is for Barca, Barbastro, G for Girona, A Ainsa, C Cadiz, Cordoba.. going on to Ronda with an unforgettable flamenco night, Montserrat, Morella, Valencia, and ending with Z for Zaragoza. Enjoy the spanish dance! 

Pink City

We had a lovely time by the city lake of Reykjavik called Tjomin (the pond).  The reflections of the Icelandic city buildings on the pristine ice make for a pretty picture, much like those little glass orb ornaments with a picturesque village picture in it complete with snow flakes a-falling.. :)

I especially love the church with the tall green tower spire that is unique to Icelandic churches. The structure makes a nice anchor to my lake reflections photograph as well as this acrylic art piece.  For the painting, the feel is decidedly whimsical as I gave the scene an intentional eliptic spin, reflective of our feelings on that idyllic afternoon stroll by the lake as we discovered to our delight the water has frozen over, courtesy of a cat walk on ice (literally), and later diving kamikaze ducks..  Yes we had fun, and serene peace.

Title: Pink City (A41)
Description: Warm landscape painting of Reykjavik, Iceland's capital, with the colorful architecture, church spire and sun set clouds reflecting on the city lake Tjornin.  Icelandic Series 2013.
Medium: Acrylic on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 30 x 30cm.
SOLD. 

1 comment:
timi said... it's beautiful really really lovely. 

Reykjavik

Reykjavik - it took me a long time to learn how to spell the most northernmost capital of the world ;p But the landscapes of the Icelandic terrain are definitely unforgettable. 

This was a distant view of the city from Perlan hill where the wintry shrubs gave a perfect frame to the unique Icelandic architecture, spires and all, with the faraway mountains and sea bay completing the composition that reminded me of an impressionist painting.

This was the scene I most wanted to paint from the trip and it was with great joy that I finally put paint to canvas, meddling with the colours and shapes until I think I got it right.. enjoy!

Title: Reykjavik (A40)
Description: Colorful landscape painting of the Iceland capital, with the city view from Perlan hill. Icelandic Series 2013.
Medium: Acrylic on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 30 x 30cm.
SOLD.

Bell City & Uneven

Yes, bell city.  That was the impression that the southwestern port city of Cadiz gave me.  Maybe because one of the first and most exhilarating views that I had of the place is up from the windy Torre de Poniente where the distinctive tower bells of the Catedral de Cadiz overlook in various sizes over the panorama that is the glittering white Andulasian enclave of Cadiz lined by a blue Atlantic strip.

I feel compelled to paint the city in light and imbued these 2 pieces with the hues of the place.  There is no one single overwhelmingly stunning feature but the sum of Cadiz is a pleasant one and we loved the atmosphere and festivities, enjoying the architecture of the narrow streets, the parks, vistas, the laid-back ambience that can only come with a port city.  And it is this light feeling that sustained my paint strokes.    

Title: Bell City (O81)
Description: An interesting portrayal of Cadiz, a southwestern port city of Spain, inspired by tower bells at the Torre de Poniente of the Catedral de Cadiz.  Spain Vignettes 2012.
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 76 x 61cm.
Purchase at: yen.artfire.com

Title: Uneven (O82)
Description: The buildings and architecture along the undulating narrow streets of the old town of Cadiz in southern Spain make for an interesting imagery study.   Spain Vignettes 2012.
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas. 
Dimensions: 76 x 61cm.
SOLD.

Corner Building

The last of my 3 Cordoba paintings, this one is a contemplative piece of a corner building that spoke to me amidst a mysterious bustling of festive activity one day in the southern spanish city.. 

It was a balmy evening and bevies and bevies of lovely Spanish ladies kept appearing, in vintage cars, horse carriages or by foot, all decked to the hilt.  Are they going to a huge fancy dress party in some grand palace?  We wondered.  So we followed.  In merriment and excitement, infected by the joyous air even though we don't speak the language.  

From the buildings to the streets, from the streets to the bridge, from the bridge to a long party crowd train, and finally to a large clearing..  It turned out to be a weeklong festival and public holiday at that, and there's a carnival going on :)  That's all.

Yet isn't this what life is about?  A celebration.  In this age of endless global economic woes and frequent natural calamities, may we learn from the Spaniards.  Treasure the moments with friends and families, treasure the caveats of peace.  Carpe diem, come what may :)

Title: Corner Building (O80)
Description: A corner building speaks to the artist in Cordoba, witness to the life and celebrations in the southern city of Spain. Spain Vignettes 2012.
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 76 x 61cm.

Juxtaposition

After doing a sweet impressionist painting on Girona, I had to do something a little subversive on the spanish enclave.  I am not sure why, it's just an emotional outlet for me.  So Juxtaposition was created.

The buildings and structures are from the Girona jewish quarter but placed in a surreal swathe of matisse-influenced, almost carnival, colours.  Girona wasn't always picturesque postcard pretty.  The city is said to have undergone 25 sieges and been captured 7 times.  

Therein lies the contradiction and strangely, also the aura behind the ancient architectural pieces of this historic place.  Saccharine yet tumultuous, present quietude versus an agitated past, every pretty remnant tells a story or does it hide a secret? That is the essence of this piece.

Title: Juxtaposition (O77)
Description: A surreal take on Girona's historic jewish quarter, with buildings and structures placed in a swathe of matisse-influenced, almost carnival, colors.  Spain Vignettes 2012.
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 76 x 61cm.
SOLD.

Singapore Icons

I am oft asked if I have anything on Singapore, so I thought it's time I do something with the sketches I did a year ago on the Fullerton Heritage area.  And it also helps that I recently invested in a professional printer which allows me to produce and control the quality of prints of my art (incidentally an art in itself!), but also as a tool to create art :)  I'm thinking collage, I'm thinking aids for painting, I'm thinking digital art, I'm thinking functional art, the possibilities are endless :)

So this is one happy result.  I am not sure what to call the medium, maybe digital art is the apt term for want of a better description.  It's derived from my ink sketches on paper, colour painted and enhanced on my Mac, and finally formulated back into form as giclee prints.  The process is no less tedious compared to painting with brushes; there are times when I felt like splashing a real brush on the screen ;p  But there are advantages as well, for eg. it is easier to undo things that don't work.  And I can experiment colours with mad abandonment, whereas for real painting, I am slowed down by having to mix the physical paints.

Enough on the process, I enjoyed making these 'paintings' and think the exuberance shows.  I dub them "Singapore Icons" after the requests I get ;D 

Title: Marina Bay Sands; One Fullerton; Fullerton Hotel; CBD (D1-4)
Description: A series of digital 'paintings' depicting Singapore's architectural icons around the Fullerton Heritage area. Mirage Island series 2012.
Medium: Digital Art.
Dimensions: 5x7/A4 open ed & A3 limited ed prints.

comments: 
su f tan said... 
Abstract and beautiful!
saw han said... 
I love the prints! 
comments for MBS:
steve dawson said...
Very Much like
plain yow said...
Love the vibracy...looks like our national flag for this big day today with the red background...
madhu kumar said...
Nice one

B is for Barbastro

Barbastro, a little place that we passed by en route to the Spanish Pyrenees, was quiet and run down in some parts.  But the buildings and architecture hint at a rich history of times gone by when it must have been a lustrious place.  The ancient walls and passageways must have seen many a battle from its Celtic origins, then Roman times when it got its name, to Islamic conquest as part of the Visigoth kingdom, then the Christians, reconquering by the Moors, and finally the Reconquest again when it became a bishopric seat..

I especially love this building and its narrow archway, full of antique elegance and magnetic character, like an enticing gateway to the tumultuous dreams of its glorious past, which is the essence of this surreal piece.

Title: Barbastro (O75)
Description: A surreal piece inspired by Barbastro, a city with a tumultuous past from the Celts, Romans, to the Christians, Moors, and subsequent reconquests.  Spain Vignettes 2012.
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 92 x 46 x 4cm. 
Purchase at: yen.artfire.com 

Camino Art Journey

Just uploaded my 1st youtube video ever and it features the fotoart and paintings from my Camino de Santiago (aka Way of St James) trip created over the past year.  Must say it's a lot of work but fun experimenting with my new macbook to do this.  Enjoy!

Rhapsody

Rhapsody is the first work in my Spain Camino series. I had revisited Spain in June this year, this time to the northwestern part to hike the famous Camino de Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage (aka the Way of St James), well at least bits of it. My journey went from Bilbao en route through several historic towns before reaching Santiago de Compostela where the tomb of St James lies. Burgos was our first "great Gothic cathedral" stop and a fave of mine :)

I love the winding streets, the poetic window sills, the bustling yet leisurely and relaxed atmosphere, with people from all over - pilgrims, adventurers, tourists, residents - all merrily enjoying the place and interlude in time. And this is the theme of Rhapsody - unconnected, rambling, yet naturally in harmony and peace, like a carefree bohemian song.

Title: Rhapsody (O48)
Description: A lyrical expressionist piece inspired by the bohemian atmosphere in the streets of Burgos, the historic capital of Castile, and on the famous pilgrim route of Camino de Santiago de Compostela (the Way of St James). Spain Camino 2010.
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 76 x 60cm.
Purchase at: yen.artfire.com

Those Were The Days ( 小时候 )

小时候，我喜欢看电影的感觉。不，应该说我喜欢去那种旧式戏院看电影的感觉。当我们走近电影院，就会看到那超大型、把宣传片画得栩栩如生、十分动人、人物好象随时会从画面里跳出来的手绘海报！旧时的海报，就是那么精彩万分、富有充满想象力空间的立体感觉，让人不期然地对那继将上映的片子充满期待，太美妙了！

而小小的我，一直奇怪为什么那海报可以在某一天突然象魔术般地换画，这么高、这么大，他们是怎么办到的？再来，旧的海报又如何处理，好东西都给谁拿去了？好多的好奇，又没有人可问，或好意思问… 当时的我，甚至立志长大后，要做那画海报的伟大画师，那我就可以天天挥一挥大彩笔，制造一出出美丽的神奇，让世人惊叹，还可以寻找出我那许许多多问题的答案… 当然小时候的我，志愿天天变，比电影院换画还要快，哈哈！

唉，如今新加坡已极少或没有这种电影院了。所以，这次台湾行在台南的街道拐个弯突然看到这间超好玩的“全美戏院”，欢喜的不得了，好象找回失而复得的儿时记忆。真想把整座电影院搬回家！想一想，除了过关卡有点小问题外，在新加坡它恐怕难逃被拆的命运吧… 只好拍张照留念，回到家再把那小时对旧戏院的情忆结，构成一幅画。

Title: Those Were The Days (O46)
Description: A surprise encounter with an old cinema during a visit to Tainan, Taiwan, evokes many a happy childhood memory of the cinemas of old in Singapore. I love the old cinemas for their handpainted cinema billboards and wanted to be a billboard artist when I was young. 2010.
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 76 x 60cm.
SOLD.

5 comments:
beibei said...
Wow.. i love that billboard.
jeffrey said...
This is THE cinema that Lee Ang used to frequent when he was still in High school in Tainan! And the painting rocks btw..
sookliang said...
在脑海里的回忆，一触不可收拾。那俊男美女的布画让我遐想到画师是如何画得栩栩如生。。。。 那被丢弃的彩画是如怨妇般的可怜。。。 忘了一时多少人的如此的欣赏。。
wilson said...
very artistic feel...
jiajia said...
love this new piece!

Enlightenment ( 悟 )

The Longshan Temple in Lugang, central Taiwan, dedicated to Guanyin (Goddess of Mercy), is one of my fave temples on this trip to Taiwan. The structures are ancient yet elegantly beautiful and well-preserved, maintaining the feel befitting of its history and age. Like a grand old dame. Indeed it is known as the "Forbidden City in Taiwan", dating from the Ching Dynasty.

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=2766855 I especially love the exquisite wood carvings and colourful paintings. This corridor was filled with streaming light even though it was not a particularly sunny day, epitomizing a sense of tranquility and enlightenment. Hence the inspiration for this piece.

Title: Enlightenment (O44, SA33)
Description: The light-filled corridor at the Longshan Temple dating from the 1786 Ching Dynasty in Lugang, central Taiwan. 2010.
台湾行鹿港龙山寺之“悟”。
Medium: Oil on Ready-To-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 76x51cm

An Old Port Town ( 鹿港老街 )

We almost didn't make it to Lugang. There was a hiccup finding transport to get us there from Central Taiwan. Lucky we did get there eventually because it was a nice laidback charming old town with historic archictecture and many nooks and corners to explore.

I especially like the old street and this sign that leads to it, the bustling yet serene old port town atmosphere, which I seek to capture in this semi-abstract piece.

Title: An Old Port Town (SA31)
Description: Taiwan series. An abstract piece epitomizing the activities of the Old Lugang Township on the west coast of Taiwan. 2010.
台湾行之“鹿港老街”。
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 76 x 51cm.

Secret Bliss ( 美丽的秘密 )

It was the first day of a brand new year, after particularly bad weather and a freezing night on New Year's Eve at Jing Gua Shi near Juifen in north Taiwan. The weather has calmed somewhat and the air fresh and crisp, so I decided to take a walk in this mountainous region and chanced to come across this window ruins.

I was simply intrigued by its beauty - the beckoning layers of windows and doorways within left standing and the intricate pattern of planks and wild plants lit by the filtered light. One wonders what this residence used to be like, who used to live here - was it a family? were there young children? how did they make a living? did they have a garden? what was their life like? And above all, why it lay in this mysterious ruinous state today.

Title: Secret Bliss (O39,SA34)
Description: Taiwan series. Depiction of beautiful window ruins in Jing Gua Shi, North Taiwan, with an intriguing sense of mystery emanated by the layers of interiors and intricate patterns within, and of what it might have been. 2010.
台湾行金瓜石之“美丽的秘密”。
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 60 x 45cm.

101 Exuberance ( 101之喧哗 )

My friends and I had arrived in Taipei on a trip on Christmas Day and had a wonderful evening enjoying the lovely mood and festivity even though it was not an official public holiday there. The energy and exuberance of that night was best epitomized by a picture I took that had Christmas lights and decorations streaking and fusing with the city lights and the omnipresent Taipei 101 skyscraper, once the tallest building in the world, in the backdrop.

Hence, I aimed to capture the wondrous mood of the beautiful Taipei city on that evening with my strokes and colours on this abstract piece - colourful yet not gaudy, boisterous yet not rowdy, spectacular yet not bling - an exuberant city of clean good fun and bright youthful hope.
Title: 101 Exuberance (O31,SA32)
Description: Taiwan Series. An abstract piece of the Taipei cityscape at night, with the ubiquitous Taipei 101. 2010.
台湾行台北“101之喧哗”。
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 76x60cm
SOLD. 

2 comments:
ruping said...Beautiful artwork from a talented friend.
john williams said...
Bold and Vivid and I can feel the movement-well done-John

Zing

Having travelled extensively and visited many a european city, it had been a long time since I was so strongly attracted to a place. And I was only passing through Aberdeen for a couple of hours en route from the Cairngorms National Park to take a ferry to the Shetlands on this Scotland trip. Funnily I was just looking for food when I walked up from the bus terminal to what looked like the "Orchard" area. I like the vibes of the city. Maybe it was the genial Scots, maybe it was the students, maybe it was the buildings setting, somehow it felt like I was in Harry Potter land..

And then I chanced to see in the distance what I learned later to be the Castlegate square. It drew me instantly like a magnet. I was especially fascinated with the hexagonal 1686 mercat cross (market cross) with a vertical post and white unicorn at the top, that symbolized the burgh's (Scottish town) right to trade. It was also the site of royal proclamations and public executions.. oops, in the old days I mean.. believe it is the host of less hazardous activities nowadays ;p

I love the square and the way the particular lamppost stand out against it. Giving the pic I took a 'photoshop' treatment produced a wonderful red sky drop in sync with my feelings about the sense of the place. I changed the composition somewhat when I did the painting for better spatial perspective and gave full play to the interaction of the subjects, creating lots of movement for the eye.


Title: Zing (O27)
Description: An expression of the whimsical interactive energy that the Castlegate square of Aberdeen gave to me, despite it being known as the Grey City. The buildings, citadel, mercat cross, and even the lamppost, seemed to speak to me when I was there and it was this strong attraction, together with my impressions of the captivating vivacity of Aberdeen, that I seek to express with my colours and strokes. Scotland 2009.
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 60 x 50cm.
SOLD.

Approaching Storm I

To round off my cloud-themed series, I decided to do 2 works simultaneously that involved clouds in the backdrop. As it turned out, both reference pics I chose happened to have mountains.

The 1st is an opportune shot I took while descending on the plane to Capetown at the southern tip of South Africa. It shows the city's omnipresent Table Mountain which seemed to carry a beacon of hope at the top amidst a gathering storm over the sprawling city. Capetown is an exquisitely beautiful, sparkling city - exotic, colourful, exciting, even dangerous, full of contraditions, and somehow the wilderness is always nearby in Africa..

Suffice to say, my trip was a memorable one by all accounts. And somehow, the vibes of the place came through when I did the painting. My colours got stronger and stronger and I ended up with a colourfully drama piece which hopefully captures the unique essence of the place. This work will be displayed at the 6 perspectEVEs exhibition on 4 ~ 28 August 2009 at The Art Loft @ Volvo.


Title: Approaching Storm I (O18,SA9)
Description: Hope amidst an approaching storm at Capetown's Table Mountain. 2009.
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 60 x 45cm.
Price: SOLD.


1 comment:
tt said...
Like the picture "The approaching storm 1". Good effort.

Cloud Series ~ The Dome

This is an interesting piece that seems to provoke rather diverse comments. When I created it, I was simply looking to develop my cloud series and found this moody cloud-church pic from my europe trip 3 years ago.

I had a busy time in Paris trying to catch as many museums as I could which was a bit tricky with all their er.. brief opening hours ;p Literally, with like minutes to closing, I had dashed into Rodin's Musée Gardens to visit The Thinker and chanced to look up and saw this in the distance. So I snapped an under-exposed photo to capture the cloud drama around what I thought was some cathedral. It was only when I was naming the painting that I did some digging and found that this was no ordinary church. The Église du Dôme is the most striking feature of the Eglise Saint-Louis des Invalides royal chapel specially constructed in 1679 in an extensive ex-military complex that holds the tomb of one Napoleon Bonaparte..

With a grandiose title like that, I'm not sure if I've done justice to the history behind the dome, but this was one piece where I literally gave full play to the clouds and made the colours swirl from the dome to the moon, and back. I wish I could give some logic to what I did or intended but this was a purely instinctive work, so the interpretation is really up to the eye of the beholder!

This work will be displayed at the 6 perspectEVEs exhibition from 17 ~ 28 August 2009 at The Art Loft @ Volvo.

Title: Cloud Series ~ The Dome (O17,SA8)
Description: Moonlight serenade of the dome of Les Invalides in Paris. 2009.
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 50 x 50cm.



5 comments:
shu laang said...
Nice, very dreamy and deja-vu :-)
serena said...
There's a magical Disney-like quality... Sorta like Aladdin.
jeffrey said...
I thought "The Dome" had a religious touch. Domes in Churches are somewhat like repositions of the heavens above and many domes carry paintings of God in the center of the Dome (which suggest that God is watching over the people on Earth). The brightly colored clouds that seem to come out of the Dome in this painting seems to represent "Hope", "Life" that comes from the heavens above.
weishian said...
I especially like the Clouds – Dome and the Mornington Peninsula – Tea at Boathouse.
kmwatkins said...
a great painting, yen!

A Street In Arles

A couple years back, I took a hiatus from work and went gallivanting in France & Scandinavia for a good 2 months, which was altogether fun, funny and challenging since I speak no French.. ;p But I had to visit the art museums in France (and they are really good - when they are not closed ;p ) and pay pilgrimage to the land of my favourite Impressionist artists. So naturally I made my way to Provence and ambled into Arles, which I learned to be Vincent van Gogh's place except there wasn't a painting of his there and his studio had been destroyed in WWII. Nevertheless, I was much inspired by the place, especially the lovely uneven buildings with multi-coloured tiled roof intertwined in a fascinating maze of narrow winding streets, which probably accounts for this being considered Van Gogh's most creative period.

So it was that I painted this particular piece from a reference photo which was actually quite muted in colour but the feeling and atmosphere of my stay in Arles came through in the gay colours I put to the buildings of this street scene of a middle-aged lady going home. The bags may seem heavy but the mood is not, with hope and warmth represented by the strong lighting that I added to the scene. This was also one of my first oil pieces using painting knife and I found that the splattering effect turned out well on the buildings and pavement :)

The painting will be displayed at the 6 perspectEVEs exhibition on 4 ~ 28 August 2009 at The Art Loft @ Volvo.
Title: A Street In Arles (O6, SA1)
Description: Inspired by the narrow winding streets of Arles, Provence, France. 2008.
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 60 x 50cm. SOLD.

Mini-Acrylic Work (with burgundy cardboard frame) 24x21cm: S$45 (USD30).

5 comments:
mary c. aikens said...
I really like your paintings very much. You have captured the use of color. I also use much color in my artwork. The "Street Scene in Arles" and "Tea At Boathouse" are among two of my favorites of your paintings.
beibei said...
I like this
valerie said...
I loved your painting of Arles. I hope to visit someday. In the meantime, thank you for capturing and sharing with us this beautiful place through your works.
teckmeng said...
I too like your piece of Arles. Been to France before but never knew that place even existed.
huilin said...
i like this one =) inspiration from??