Been a while since I painted my homeland. This orange monochrome piece is inspired by an abstract picture of light and smoke I had created from a chance photograph I took from a bus window while it briefly stopped outside the Singapore Lasalle College of the Arts. The morning sunlight reflecting brightly on the roof caught my eye, as well as the atmospheric effect of fumes being sprayed at the time creating a Chinese landscape atmosphere out of the overhanging trees, and that was how I developed the image.
The composition of triangular and other shapes was perfect in the original picture and the only difference I made was the figure of the old man which became a Chinese long haired woman in my painting. Not sure why but I painted most of this work outdoors at a myartspace market event on Dhoby Ghaut Green and somehow amidst all the murmurings of the bystander public in the background, the figure change became just right for this poignant piece ;p
Title: Rooftop (O116)
Description: Orange monochrome impressionist painting inspired by morning sunlight reflecting off the rood top of a building at Singapore Lasalle College of the Arts grounds.
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Possibly my most van gogh painting todate, if not least because of the thick impasto paint style, as well as the golden blue colour scheme.
The painting is inspired by surreal scenery in the desolate pseudocraters fields of north Iceland where the Icelandic sun gave a poetic feel to beautiful wheat like plants glistening in the cool winter light and whispering mysterious murmurs to the winds.
And that was the feel that I seek to convey in the abstract shapes. Whimsical yet sad.
Title: Weeping Field (O110)
Description: Abstract landscape oil painting of sunny wheat field in bright vibrant orange yellow thick color strokes reminiscent of Van Gogh, inspired by surreal Iceland scenery. Icelandic Series 2014.
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 30 x 30cm.
Purchase at: yen.artfire.com
Not done with Shanghai yet as I discovered an old ink sketch I had done while strolling at the boulevard of the Bund last year, of the iconic Pudong skyscrapers view across the river.
So this painting is born, with colours, shapes and all, in impressionistic style as that was what struck me the most, of this distant surreal view of the financial district, especially the distinctive Oriental Pearl Tower (东方明珠塔) that gives a natural anchor to the landscape.
And the across-river distant view remains the nicest as actually being in Pudong itself was not that much fun for me, too modern or too futuristic, depending on how you look at it ;p I still prefer the historic buildings at the Bund, so Pudong will remain at that, abstract distant impressions :)
Title: Shanghai Pudong 上海浦东 (O102)
Description: Surreal impressionistic painting of Shanghai Pudong with expressive strokes, colours and shapes depicting the iconic city skyscrapers of the river landscape in abstract. China 2014.
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 76 x 76cm.
Purchase at: yen.artfire.com
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