Art by Yen

Ta-da!  Introducing my new revamped website: www.artbyyen.com 

Been tardy about blogging since I discover the insta-joy of instagram, and yes, been too busy painting my heart out, no kidding ;p

Okay no more excuses, I am back after six months, oops..  and wonder where I should begin.  My art journey in the past half year has been one of experimentation, not of the wild abandon variety, but trying out new things that I have not had the time to do before, and painting things (even cliche ones!) I have wanted to do at some time but never found the time.  In other words, I was having way too much fun ;p

Revamping my website has given me the chance to contemplate and to draw a thread to it all.. namely, abstraction and more precisely, its no-boundaries anything-goes methods which help me to hone my original style.  I have learnt that the brush and knife are not the only ways to paint, in fact, it is the tool I used least in my recent work. So I veered from abstraction methods of thick layering, sponging, collage, using objects, fingers, you name it, from impressionism to abstraction and back. Including some artwork here that I personally like, whether they came about accidentally or not ;p  After all, abstraction is not knowing where I'd land which is what makes the process so exciting :) My art journey is getting more fun by the day..

Icelandic Houses I, 10"x12"

Starry, 12"x12"

From Prague with Love, 18"x18"

Brilliance, 12"x12"

Cape of Hope, 20"x24"

Sail to the Moon, 18"x18"

Purchase at: yen.artfire.com

Icelandic Series

*Click here if unable to see video*

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.

Whimsical Little Girl series

The last 2 pieces in my Untitled Series, completed after over a year's journey of 12 whimsical episodes with the central theme of looking at the world through the eyes of a child.  

I started painting the series when I became godma to my baby niece, taking a suggestion from a friend that I should paint from the heart. So it is only apt that my footnote piece is of the protagonist herself, and inspired by a recent real life episode of the little girl who is now 1 year old and, ahem, likes to do her own shopping ;p  To a child, a mall must seem like wonderland so it is that I made sure she gets plentiful colourful company, including a beloved care bear. 

Untitled 11 is a nostalgic ocean piece that got sold almost as soon as I posted it on facebook ;p I had meant to do this one for some time, having taken a break from the series to paint for another themed exhibition. It was inspired by a story my dad likes to tell, of how he first saw my mum, a little girl with 2 plaits playing balloon (pronounced "bear-loon" for hopscotch) at the beach. This must have been the beach at my grandma's place in Johore where they were both born. So the innocence, romance and idyllic freedom of a little girl skipping at sea theme was born.

Title:  Untitled 12 (A63) 
Description: Cute little girl whimsical impressionist painting, shopping in pink pastel colorful fantasy mall with pokemons, care bear, elephant and giraffe toys. True life portrayal of my 1 year old niece and god-daughter whose birth first moved me into starting this Untitled Series, so it was only apt that my penultimate work in the Series is of the protagonist who inspired them all :) 2016. 
Medium: Acrylic on Ready-to-Hang Canvas. 
Dimensions: 76 x 76cm.
Sold.

Title:  Untitled 11 (A62) 
Description: Sweet little girl at beach landscape painting, skipping hopscotch with whimsical nostalgic feel, peaceful waves, turquoise ocean, blue skies and sea shells. A step into the past inspired by how my dad likes to recount when he first saw my mum, a little girl with 2 plaits and playing balloon on the beach. 2016. 
Medium: Acrylic on Ready-to-Hang Canvas. 
Dimensions: 76 x 76cm.

SOLD. 

Wanderer's Paradise

Madness yet a genius. This was what crossed my mind when I came across this unusual shack on a cliff edge, literally, while hiking the Jeju Olle Trail No. 7.  Mind you, it was quite a drop down that precarious ledge into treacherous terrain, wee..  
Yet I was at once wildly amused by the madness of the author, and terribly intrigued by the brilliance of it all, the more I studied it.  

Wooden planks to layout the spot, check.  Weather extremely hot, not much shade on this stretch of trail, tie shelter to tree branches, check.  Blow-away super strong winds characteristic of Jeju, use lots of strong ropes tied like a maze to secure the all-important showcase chair.. not to mention the almighty drop to heaven if it weren't, check.  And lastly a fantastic view point of the ocean, the rugged rocky coast, the distant islets, check. Now all there's left was to sit..  

Except I didn't quite have the courage of the mad one. The chair seemed sturdy enough when I sat my backpack on it. Stood behind was all I dared endeavour then in the bellowing winds. But the longing and regret endured way after. So being an artist which is a good skill to have when you can't live something, I painted the scene instead ;p Yes, the surreal dream of what it would be like to sit on that ledge - to rest, contemplate and admire with trepidation perhaps - the mad one's gateway to heaven, literally and metaphorically.

Title: Wanderer's Paradise 游子的天堂 (O98)
Description: Colourful surreal landscape painting inspired by a shack on a cliff edge the artist encountered while hiking the coast of Jeju Olle Trail No. 7. The scene depicts her dream sitting beholding the ocean, on a chair tied by a litany of ropes, the concoction of a mad genius perhaps, and a gateway to heaven, literally and metaphorically. Jeju Notes 2014.
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 61 x 61cm.
Purchase at: yen.artfire.com

Sunset

Once in a while, my surrealistic tendencies overcome and it is with this experimental piece inspired by an inspiring sunset on Jeju island in Korea.    

Realism or even impressionism was the last thing on my mind when I painted the image.  Instead I saw shapes and symbols swirling in motion. I thought it wasn't going to work but I added the woman and it seemed to click.  So I persevered until the colours gel, brought back from the realm of disunity by the movement.

And then I stopped. My emotional outburst was over.  I am not even sure if I like it.  It is certainly different from the other korean pieces done so far.  But I think I will keep the piece.

Title: Sunset 夕阳 (O94)
Description: Shapes, movement and symbolism embody this bold soulful surrealistic landscape painting inspired by a beach sunset in Jeju, Korea, known for its haenyo sea diver women. Jeju Notes 2013.
Medium: Oil on Ready-to-Hang Canvas.
Dimensions: 61 x 61cm.
Purchase at: yen.artfire.com

1 comment:
shelley whiting said... I love the wild and expressionistic style. Beautiul and lively work