Icelandic Series

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After a hiatus from travel oil art, I came back to one of my favourite nature subject, Iceland.

I wanted to paint clouds and the fascinating ever-changing skies from my 2012 trip immediately came to mind. There was material a-plenty from my memories and photographs of the land of fire and ice, which is an abstract art unto itself.. 

So this little paintings series was born, painted impasto as I got re-acquainted with my favourite oil medium, happy and relaxed as can be :)

Finally when I've done enough pieces that I am satisfied with, it dawned that put together, they form an inspirational whole that brightens up my room. And day :) With this, the name of each piece was born. May the paintings bring peace and good tidings to all beholders of this tribute to Icelandic nature.

Titles:  Icelandic 1 to 9 ~ Infinite, Hope, Awe, Unbending, Flow, Haven, Oneness, Awakening, Serene (O132-O140) 
Description: Icelandic series depicting the beautiful elements of nature, clouds, mountains, waterfalls, surreal earth, and homes, in harmonious blend in the land of fire and ice. 2016. 
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas. 
Dimensions:  14" x 10" each.

Purchase at: yen.artfire.com

"Icelandic 7 ~ Oneness", "Icelandic 9 ~ Serene" are Sold.

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.

Whimsical Little Girl series

Two more paintings for this Untitled series. Very different themes and places and time as well, but with a bit of personal connection to it. 

The nostalgic bicycle painting is inspired by snatches of childhood memories of a funny incident on my first day to kindergarten. On the day before, I couldn't decide which schoolbag to use so I kept packing and unpacking between the two. The next day, on excitedly reaching school, I found that I brought the wrong one ;p

I had wanted to do a green woods piece for some time, which became the second painting, an enchanted story of a little ponytail girl running barefoot on a sunlit path in a magical forest.

Something that I would love to do myself.  And yes, with a dog. The joy of nature, the joy of trees, the joy of running, the joy of accompaniment, the joy of exploration, the joy of light, the joy of being alive.

Enjoy the pieces!

Title:  Untitled 5 (A46) 
Description: Bright nostalgic painting of chinese man on bicycle ferrying a ponytail girl hugging her schoolbag, with rustic tile wall backdrop and wooden window where a little suitcase sits. Inspired by a childhood memory of my first day to kindergarten and found I brought the wrong bag. 2015. 
Medium: Acrylic on Ready-to-Hang Canvas. 
Dimensions: 76 x 76cm.

Title:  Untitled 4 (A45) 
Description: Whimsical green forest nature painting where a little girl runs with her dog in the woods, on a yellow sunlit path past beautiful trees. 2015. 
Medium: Acrylic on Ready-to-Hang Canvas. 
Dimensions: 76 x 76cm.


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Whimsical Little Girl Series

At least, this is what this Untitled series is turning out to be ;p  It's a new direction in my art, and I am excited about it. 

Instead of images from my travels which I have been doing for years, I began to paint pictures from my heart, a suggestion from a friend. 

So I started to imagine scenes from whatever comes to mind.. nuggets, unknown places, memories, feelings, symbols, dreams.. and culled for materials to thread it altogether. 

Somehow, the theme of being a child again just seems to linger.  But I do not know what to call the pieces as they seem to invoke different things to different people, and even to me.  So for the first time in my painting journey, I am leaving them Untitled.  

Title:  Untitled 1 (A42) 
Description: Whimsical expressionist painting of little girl chancing upon a dog in a nameless city with rose symbol and streakng light in a dreamy surreal nightscape. 2015. 
Medium: Acrylic on Ready-to-Hang Canvas. 
Dimensions: 76 x 76cm.

Title:  Untitled 2 (A43) 
Description: Whimsical painting of a little girl and a cat reaching out for a fly away hot air balloon with a birdcage in tow, trailed by roses, angels and vintage symbols. 2015. 
Medium: Acrylic on Ready-to-Hang Canvas. 
Dimensions: 76 x 76cm.

Title:  Untitled 3 (A44) 
Description: Impressionist painting of train station in surreal bright orange lights whilst a little girl in pink and her teddy bear stand awaiting. 2015. 
Medium: Acrylic on Ready-to-Hang Canvas. 
Dimensions: 76 x 76cm.

Purchase at: yen.artfire.com

Rooftop

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. 

Dimensions: 61 x 61cm. 
Purchase at: yen.artfire.com

Shanghai Pudong

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

Haenyo

On a cab ride in Jeju, a friendly uncle driver enthusiastically told me that the island is known for 3 things: rocks, wind.. and after struggling with the korean-to-english translation app on his iphone.. women.  

He meant the famous haenyo - sea women divers who fight against the wild waves for a catch. In the old days, many men in Jeju were lost at sea. They also had to pay heavy taxes, so the diving trade eventually passed over to the women who became the main breadwinner.  A declining trade today, with tourism contributing to most job opportunities, the haenyo declined in numbers. With an average age of 65, the iconic ladies continued to dive into depths of 20-30 metres with no oxygen tank, whether for a catch, often singing a poignant song. or sadly, to the throes of tourists and flashing cameras fighting to picture the amazing feat and the prize catch of an octopus or squid.

At a particularly touristy spot, I watched but could not bear to join the mob. Amidst the madness, a solemn expression of a haenyo catches, with faraway eyes that tell of a life past that I could not possibly imagine. I knew I would paint her, paint her story, paint the beautiful bright red shoe that she wore into the waters, paint the enigmatic person behind the matriarchal symbol that may one day pass into Jeju's colourful history..

Title: Haenyo 海女 (O95)
Description: A poignant depiction of the colourful Haenyo, sea women divers iconic in Jeju, Korea, who fight the wild waves for a catch in place of the men, who are today declining in numbers and a dying trade. Jeju Notes 2014.
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 76 x 76cm.
Purchase at: yen.artfire.com

A is for Ainsa

I thought I was done with painting Spain but a re-visit this year traversing the aragon pyrenees to the south rekindled the passion, and so it was that I started with the most memorable place that embellishes itself into my mind, and heart, forever.. Ainsa.

A little village in the Camino Aragones (see my Spain Camino series), Ainsa was once the capital of the medieval Kingdom of Sobarbe.  With a colourful tumultous history, the town saw in turn the imprints of the Celts, the Romans, the Muslims and finally, the Christians in the Reconquest of the Middle Ages. I fell in love with it at first sight, drawn to its beckoning mystique and sense of history, and knowing that I would paint it, I went about taking postcard pictures :)

Strangely this was a canvas that I had tried painting a city landscape that didn't quite work.  On impulse, I painted over it straight, and either the colours of the original canvas, or my strong emotions on reminiscing Ainsa, took over.  It was pure delirium to translate the aura of Ainsa on canvas.  And thus, the happy result where I discovered a colour tone that I have not used before but sets out the feel of the medieval architecture perfectly.

Title: Ainsa (O71)
Description: A is for Ainsa, a little village in the Camino Aragones, once the capital of the medieval Kingdom of Sobarbe and seeing the imprints in turn of the Celts, the Romans, the Muslims and the Christians in the Reconquest of the Middle Ages. I fell in love with it at first sight, drawn to its aura of mystique and history, and knew that I would paint it. Spain Vignettes 2011.
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 76 x 61cm.
SOLD.  

The Way ( 道 )

An expressionist piece that I had to paint twice to get the feeling that I wanted to achieve right, which I will leave to the viewer to interpret.

The scene was inspired by a picture that I took at the beautiful Confucian Temple in Tainan, south Taiwan. Red is a colour that I have found to be very beautiful and expressive since I started this Taiwan series and never more evident than in this work which I thoroughly enjoyed its richness in my execution.

Title: The Way (O45, SA30)
Description: An expressionist piece inspired by the Tainan Confucian Temple in Taiwan. 2010.
台湾行台南孔庙之“道”。
Medium: Oil on Ready-To-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 76x60cm
Purchase at: yen.artfire.com

Blooming Happiness ( 满满的幸福 )

Flowers, flowers, flowers everywhere! Gleeful were my friends and I when we discovered this field while taking a walk in the countryside at Jiji in Nantou, central Taiwan.

And the warmth and joy of that afternoon was what I seek to capture in this piece, with a touch of enigmatism added to the final oil work, as I wondered what was the source of our happiness that day. Was it the flowers? Was it the setting? Was it the company? Was it the strange shaped building yonder? Or was it simply the surprise bouquet combination of it all?

Title: Blooming Happiness (O43, SA37)
Description: Taiwan series. From a visit to Jiji, Nantou, in Central Taiwan, where we literally stumbled on this blooming field with beautiful flowers to our utter delight. 2010.
台湾行集集之“满满的幸福”。
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 76x60cm
SOLD.