Joseph Isaac Schooling

Welcome home, Joseph Isaac Schooling. It is good to see you staying relaxed, good-natured and unfazed, all the brouhaha and attention notwithstanding. You certainly deserve the immense adulation and numerous accolades, and the greatest honour of course, if it can even match the historic moment that you touched that wall ahead of Michael Phelps, Chad Le Clos and Laslo Cseh, all amazingly reaching at the same time for the silver but that's another story. 

When you came in first in the heats, I wondered if you had peaked too soon. But your focus on winning was clear, not putting too much on the win. Even when you won the gold, you said it is not as if it is your 22nd or 23rd, showing the same humbleness and respect to your fellow swimmers, all greats in their own right on their day, especially your hero Michael Phelps who went on to win his 23rd. The spirit of comradeship amongst the medallists during the lap of honour was one of the most touching that I have witnessed on the sports arena which epitomises Olympics at its best. This is what true competition is about, the best for the sport above all.  Whether a baton is passed or not, only history will know but with this right spirit, may this be only the beginning. And let not that pressure cooker that is that great, ahem, oft unreasonable, Singapore Expectation ever get to you. 

Rejoice in your family time with your parents, who are heroes in their own right period. Enjoy your chai tow kueh for now. I know the feeling having just painted my away-from-home fried carrot cake cravings in 2 paintings currently exhibiting at Fullerton Hotel.  And this is what I was moved to paint on that historic day - of you breaking out in smiles of joy, and perhaps, relief, during a TV interview by the poolside soon after the triumph. It was an unforgettable expression which I hope I have done justice to. Well done, my compatriot.  

Title:  Jubilation ~ Joseph Isaac Schooling (A61) 
Description: Tribute to Joseph Isaac Schooling, winner of the 100m butterfly at the 2016 Olympics, attaining Singapore's first-ever Olympic gold medal and in record time. Inspired by the historic images of the triumphant 21-year-old on the podium, with Michael Phelps, Chad Le Clos and Laszlo Cseh tied for a silver, and painted on the same day 13 Aug 2016, from a tv interview of our homegrown boy breaking out in smiles of jubilation, and perhaps, relief. Well done, my compatriot.
Medium: Acrylic on Ready-to-Hang Canvas. 
Dimensions: 30 x 23cm.

Sketch Delight

I wanted to do something relaxing for a change. And I'm happiest doing sketches. So when a friend remarked that she likes a mini-acrylic sketch I did last year as a learning piece from an art book which she described as warm and cheerful, I decided to do a full-size sketch work. And I really mean sketch as an end-product.

The art book in question was by Joyce Pike and the reference was a still-life picture of antique-ish objects and warm flowers. At the time I did the mini-sketch, I liked the raw strokes and colours of the sketch stage so much I stopped there. I don't even remember the details of the original reference pic anymore. It doesn't matter as my intention is to create a bright and cheery piece looking like a sketch with my newly-bought big brush that I was so excited to try. And I had great fun doing this.

In the end, I am quite pleased with the result as it makes me smile when I look at it. I may develop a delight series out of this.. Some folks, not knowing what to make of it, enquired (politely) if this was an abstract piece ;p Well, semi-abstract it'd be then. After all, that's the point about sketches and what I love about them - unclear yet full of potential and possibilities so I will leave the viewer to his or her own imagination.


Title: Sketch Delight (O23)
Description: Riotous fun with orange and all sorts of colours for this semi-abstract piece of vases of flowers on a table. 2009.
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 60 x 45cm.
Purchase at: yen.artfire.com

2 comments:
tina said...
i like this... very diff from those we have seen @ the exhibition.
karen said...
My dad absolutely loves the mini work, Sketch Delight, that I bought him for Christmas! :) We agree its strong points are the vivid colour play and animated brush strokes. The level of abstraction is just perfect... it's detailed enough for us to identify the subject but still leaves room for individual interpretation. Keep up the fantastic work, we look forward to seeing (and supporting) more of your art! :)

Mornington Peninsula ~ Simon's Vintage Stuff

Finally, I had to do a painting on the wonderful collectibles of our host - photographer-cum-vintage collector-cum many other interests - one Simon Wong's house in Dromana on the Mornington Peninsula, which is incidentally an area with plentiful flea markets and op-shops (viz charity antique shops). Many an evening we spent listening to his oldies vinyl records, like this Beatles one, on his antique gramophone going round and round..

This nice cream-coloured table was by the window and one afternoon, the sun rays came beautifully through the blinds creating an intricate lace pattern on Simon's "gu dong" stuff. Naturally all of us present couldn't resist whipping our cameras or mobiles to capture the effect.

I started with a sketch where the colours worked pretty well, even though they are quite different from the original scene. Then I moved on to a canvas experimenting with my new found painting knife method which is especially good on glass objects. It's a pleasant painting to do and brings back nice memories of our stay at Simon's house where time seemed to stand still and we relaxed and had endless chats without modernities like the TV in the way of what living should be about. Haha.. since that memorable trip, the vintage habit has rubbed on at least 2 of the group.. luckily I got restraint as it is a rather expensive hobby to have in Singapore! Title: Mornington Peninsula ~ Simon's Vintage Stuff (O14, SA5)
Description: A charming table of vintage stuff at the house of photographer Simon Wong in Dromana, Mornington Peninsula. 2008.
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 60 x 50cm. SOLD.
Mini-Acrylic Work (with red cardboard frame) 24x21cm: SOLD.

Mornington Peninsula ~ Tea At Boathouse

Besides outdoors, the Mornington Peninsula area also has charming restaurants. This particular one called Boathouse is beside an art gallery and we spent a leisurely afternoon having long discourses over tea and cakes in the al fresco sitting at the back which is beside a river and has lovely greenery filtering the sun rays much like a Monet painting.

The soft yellowish-green lighting of the scene from my reference photo is what I started with as the main toning for the painting. However, as I started to do the table cloth and objects, I started getting adventurous on the colours. The table is tilted up for better composition and perspective. The end result is I think a quaint painting, just like the restaurant ;p

Title: Tea At Boathouse (O13)
Description: Tea table at a quaint monet-like restaurant called Boathouse, Mornington Peninsula. 2008.
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 50 x 40cm. SOLD.
Mini-Acrylic Work (with lime green cardboard frame) 26x21cm: SOLD.


3 comments:mary c. aikens said...
I really like your paintings very much. You have captured the use of color... The "Street Scene in Arles" and "Tea At Boathouse" are among two of my favorites of your paintings..
beibei said...
Peace and serenity
weishian said...
I especially like the Clouds – Dome and the Mornington Peninsula – Tea at Boathouse.

Seascapes ~ The Rock

This piece was inspired by my trip to Scandinavia and the Norway Lofoten Islands. I arrived in crappy weather which was to persist the few days I was there until the morning of the day of my departure when glimpses of the sun finally appeared belatedly and the fog started to disperse. That was when I took a walk at the coast of Å where I was staying and fell in love with this little rock islet. So I took out my sketchbook and spent about an hour behind a rock wall hiding from the chilly winds and inking the scene.

Back in Singapore, I did the oil piece with the colours and strokes flowing freely, seeking to relive and capture the feel of that lovely morning at Å. Ironically, by the time I left the Lofotens, the sun was shining so brightly and the skies so clear and blue that it looked like the bad weather never was. Perhaps, my liberal use of bright orangey yellow was an unconscious reflection of that irony! This was also my 1st exhibited painting in a showcase of student works entitled "Colours of Life" at my art space on 4 ~ 5 Nov 2006.


Title: Seascapes ~ The Rock (O2,SI1)
Description: Inspired by the Norway Lofoten Islands. 2006.
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 60 x 50cm.
SOLD.
1 comment:
cheri said...
Nice work with such bright and vivid colors. Keep up the good work.


Other works on Norway:











Title: Norwegian Alps (O9,SA2)
Description: Inspired by wintry scenery whilst on a train ride in Norway. 2008.
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 60 x 50cm.
Price: SOLD. Mini-Acrylic Work (with biege-gold cardboard frame) 21x18.5cm: SOLD.


Title: Portrait ~ Norwegian Artist Kaare Espolin Johnson (O20)
Description: An ode to the artist whose works struck a chord with me when I visited his art museum in Kabelvag on the Norway Lofoten Islands. 2007.
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 50 x 40cm.