My Joo Chiat Corner art series (part 2)

​The art journey inspired by Van Gogh continues with the depictions of the nooks and corners around my studio in the peranakan enclave, Joo Chiat, in eastern Singapore..  

The exploration begins within my studio where I was inspired by a neighbour to garden. Twas another trials and tribulations journey for one not predisposed to green fingers and a therapeutic journey to have some finally flourish and adorn my window view :)  As well as inspire me to paint still life!

      

                                    Kalanchoe of Joy, 24x18 inches, oil on canvas

With these yellow florals I had bought for chinese new year looking mightily familiar to me ~ reminiscent of a certain master's famous sunflowers ~ Kalanchoe of Joy was born with a composition that is a nod to Van Gogh, no less. The companion piece, Orchid of Life, is a special one as the Singapore national flower is an orchid. It was pure joy to watch these elegant blooms open one by one. And to paint them :) 

   

      

                                     Orchid of Life, 24x18 inches, oil on canvas

Enough smiling with the flowery, the next works are literally corner pieces. To live up to my art series' namesake, kidding ;p There is a beauty to architecture in corners. They anchor the place and provide a fascinating study of the crossing cultures and historical mix of the place. I believe that buildings are alive and witnesses to the tumultuous happenings around them in the passage of time. I don't like straight lines and so in spite of my love for painting buildings, they are never mathematically structural and always organic to my surreal feel for the sights and sounds of the scenes that touch me.

 

Joo Chiat Corner, 24x36 inches, oil on canvas 

Joo Chiat Corner holds a dear childhood memory to me. Twas an old bus route that I used to take with the bus huffing and puffing at the turn, oft getting stuck due to some parked vehicle. The same bus still goes by today but the road is now an improved one-way with a nice pavement. I miss the shops of old with the bustling traditional trades but I also like the mix of old and modern today with the contrasting architecture at both sides that have seen the times change. On the left we have the more Malay-Islamic style buildings leading to Geylang Serai. On the right are the more Chinese ones with some truly beautiful peranakan residences down the stretch. Joo Chiat Road itself is a bridge between malay Geylang Serai and chinese peranakan Katong areas, 2 distinct cultures. And so we have an interesting melting pot of 2 colourful architectural influences at this lovely corner that inspired my whimsical take. 

  

       

                The Corner Shophouse (joo chiat road), 30x20 inches, oil on canvas

Just further down Joo Chiat Road is an iconic shophouse in an angled corner, a 1928 building with impressive chinese dragons overlooking the buzz in the shops below. The building was originally bright yellow when I moved into the area and then painted over beige white which annoyed me at the loss of colour. But one day when I was walking by in the twilight, the dark mahogany motifs came alive and struck me how delicately intricate they were with many unknown ancient creatures woven into them if one were to look carefully. The motifs of this building are simply beautiful no matter what new paint coats adorn them or how the shops below have changed from traditional trades to a hip coffee joint today. And it is this slice of history, this moment in time, that I am capturing in The Corner Shophouse, just as the architectural beauty itself is a timeless testament travelling from the past to the present.

 
Pretty Alley (koon seng road), 24x18 inches, oil on canvas, SOLD
 

Insta enthusiasts and tourists often make a beeline for the Koon Seng Road shophouses near the middle junction of Joo Chiat Road, oft said to be the most colourful picturesque street in Singapore. If one really takes the time to explore the area, the real gems are the peeks of these peranakan beauties from the many backlanes and corridors. I stumbled across this Pretty Alley that frames possibly one of the most photographed green and pink houses with high alley windows dancing towards them together with the arching lamppost. My feline friend in the picture would agree with me that it is a beau-ootiful view :) 

Corridor View (koon seng road), 24x18 inches, oil on canvas, SOLD

​Finally, my sojourn ends with an entrancing Corridor View framing the last shophouse in the famous row. It's an intriguing one with a view within a view within a view, if you can spot what I am saying ;p

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My Joo Chiat Corner art series

​It all started with a dalliance with van gogh..  

Don't we all when starting out as novice painters of western art? Falling in love with the starry nights, the vibrancy of the palette, drawn by the energy and impassioned artworks of the most famous painter of them all. At least Yen did, and went on to discover a whole new world of impressionism and expressionism.

Chinatown Blues (teck lim road), 30x24 inches, ​oil on canvas

But Van Gogh remains unique, described as post-impressionist but not yet modern art, one can never peg him as either as there were none like him and none after.  

The Blue Shophouse (joo chiat road), 30x20 inches, oil on canvas, SOLD

The 8 Shophouses (joo chiat road), 14x80inches (8 canvas panels @14"x10"), ​oil on canvas

Yen was perhaps one of millions inspired to pick up the painting brush by this great man who poignantly was not recognized professionally in his equally well known dramatic lifetime. ​​  

 

A Stroll At Joo Chiat (joo chiat road), 24x33 inches, oil on canvas, SOLD 

                                

                             Five Foot Way (joo chiat road), 24x18 inches, oil on canvas, SOLD

While Van Gogh painted in Arles France (Yen had the privilege of traversing to for a tribute), Yen painted in our very own backyard. Yes, Singapore. The place Yen calls home after years of backpacking and art-ing around the world.

 

Once Upon A Time (joo chiat Kuan Im Tng temple), 20x30 inches, oil on canvas, SOLD

 

Memory Lane (joo chiat), 18x18 inches, oil on canvas, SOLD

Her DREAMembrance series , exploring the interplay between dreams and memories, are vignettes of local landmarks in impasto abstract style, a nod to the man who first inspired her in the beginning.  

  

A Vintage Shophouse (joo chiat road), 14x10 inches, acrylic on canvas, SOLD

​Recently, the wanderer has found a permanent home for her studio in eastern Singapore. The little enclave called Joo Chiat with the ubiquitous peranakan houses is becoming very lively with exquisite culinaries sprouting alongside traditional works and nonya eateries. In this charming place, Yen discovers nooks and corners to love to bits every day and to put into her paintings as her art journey continues with her  My Joo Chiat Corner series..

The 8 Peranakan Houses (koon seng road), 14x80inches (8 canvas panels @14"x10"), ​oil on canvas, SOLD

Purchase paintings at my art store.

For Charity this November..

After a beep last year this time (due to sheer exhaustion from moving house!), am getting back into my annual christmas "pilgrimage" mode. 

November is the time when gifts can be sent in time for christmas, and I can make the donation in december as a cheer for the seasons. Yes, 50% of my november sales proceeds will go to to elderly charities in my country, a personal cause of mine these few years given the inadequacy of social netting here. 

This is also my 10th christmas charity event, marking how long I have been painting and come into confidence as an artist to share my creations with the world. It has been one long journey from impressionism to expressionism, and now to exploring abstractism. Along the way, I have made many friends and met many art lovers and creators, an invaluable experience I would not have exhanged for anything in the world period.

My online shops: 

http://yenpaintings.etsy.com - 15% off all paintings

http://yen.artfire.com - use code: ART4CHARITY for 15% off

Do support the cause, and the art if you like it :)

PostScript: MERCI to all who supported the cause this November. Total contributions of S$350 (approx US$260) have been made to St. Andrew's Mission Hospital  and Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital which have been doing very excellent, patient and valuable work in taking care of our elderly that are in their good hands. 
Be merry most if not all the time, and always healthy !!

Creation of DREAMembrance art series

A post shared by Yen (@yenpaintings) on Jul 14, 2018 at 11:10am PDT

"Lau Pa Sat", 30" x 24", oil on canvas 2018.  

The place that my eyes are drawn to whenever I am in town, the Telok Ayer Market, its chinese moniker the Old Market, an archtiectural landmark haven that has always been, never mind the endless modernity sprouting around it.  

A post shared by Yen (@yenpaintings) on Jul 28, 2018 at 8:01am PDT

"The Lost Station", 30" x 24", oil on canvas 2018 

Lost in time, literally, our beloved Tanjong Pagar Railway Station saw its last train depart from Singapore to Malaysia in 2011 and then closed in 2016 to be re-made into a new mrt station, due far away in 2025.

A post shared by Yen (@yenpaintings) on Jul 31, 2018 at 6:16am PDT

"The Silent Dome", 30" x 24", oil on canvas 2018 
From the Supreme Court to the National Gallery, the quintessential Dome stayed intact, thankfully, a comforting presence anchoring the padang field and a silent witness to many a historic event in the ever-changing city.

A post shared by Yen (@yenpaintings) on Jul 21, 2018 at 8:39pm PDT

"Chinatown Blues", 30" x 24", oil on canvas 2018 

The black white balconies at this classy row of peranakan shophouses on a nonchalent back lane called Teck Lim Road seem to jazz and have a life of their own, nudging me to paint them. And so I did.

Visit DREAMembrance art exhibition 3-5 Aug: https://www.facebook.com/events/624970771220288/

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

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. 

Homesick Singaporean Series

Ask an overseas Singaporean what he or she misses most about home, and inevitably the answer is food. Indeed some are already missing it on short trips away, such is the national obsession that bonds us all. 

The Homesick Series is originally inspired by a personal experience of being away from home for a year of studies in London, with Homesick I featuring many of my favourite foods, especially fried carrot cake, my all-time favourite that also featured in Homesick II. I was staying in a hall that catered, ahem, food that doesn't quite meet the standards, or asian palate, of Singlish-speaking ones, even for a poor student. It was hard to get by without a night of jokes at what we had to ingest, and scrimping to save for the occasional visit to a chinese restaurant, and rarer still then, a xingzhou restaurant that charged a dear pound for a stick of satay. Even the humble maggi noodles, which had to be specially scoured from a trip to chinatown, tasted of home. And chilli, I have never missed it more for my entire life! But I am digressing.

When I was asked to paint on the theme of food, an intrinsic part of our culture, and very much the DNA of a true blue Singaporean, whether Chinese, Malay, Indian, Eurasian or other race, the “hunger agony” of my London days came vividly to mind. As well as a comment from our very own PM on what he hears most from overseas Singaporeans about missing home. 

Underlying the pining lies the fabric that glues us all together over the years since independence, and became a given to generations like myself, growing up loving the sweetness of Malay food, the heavenly peranakan cuisine, and oh Indian curry prata.. the list is just endless. Just as it was perfectly natural to have playmates of multi races and fun learning how to write tamil 1-2-3 from a classmate. 

This Series is thus a tribute to our special trait, our unique yearnings, our rare fortune and blessing as Singaporeans to have peace and harmony amongst different races and ethnicities, a rarity these days. And to celebrate it all over our mutual love of food, whether yours or mine, we can't tell often and really don't care for the difference, because when it comes to eating, we are one :)

Titles:  Homesick III, I & II (A56, A54 & A55) 
Description: Homesick Series of the typical overseas Singaporean missing her or his favourite foods back home while in a foreign land, whether studying or travelling. Very much a part of our multi-racial culture, the love of our colourful local food is ingrained in our DNA and a national passion that binds us all. 2016. 
Medium: Acrylic on Ready-to-Hang Canvas. 
Dimensions: 76 x 76cm.

Exhibition: Sudah Makan? (Have you eaten?) Exhibition @ Fullerton Hotel, East Garden Foyer Gallery, 2-29 Aug 2016.
Purchase of paintings:  Please contact Baey Sock Hoon at baey@artstou.com.

Dream Art Store & Fishing Teddy Bears for Christmas

A friend said in order to achieve my dream, I need to visualise and draw it.  And so I did.  And painted an art store that I hope to have one day, my very own corner where I can paint and have other art activities, and hopefully be able to make a living out of it as well.  

Yes, a dream that is hard to fulfil in a very urbanised very crowded very expensive city called Singapore. Oh I should focus on the positives :) And so I looked for motifs on the Internet (where else) that I would like for my shop - an artsy street location, a Shanghainese lady portrait will do quite nice for signage art, a laid back wooden feel with lotsa little embellishments like a stained glass window, peranakan tiles decor, an antique gramophone, a chalkboard duster sign, and of course, plentiful art and knick-knacks. 

Sigh. Now all I need is the dough. Yes, I am working hard for it!  In the meantime, am going back to a bit of my dark expressionist tendencies for a piece inspired by Japan Kyoto's Philosopher's Path.  Those who have been will recognize the emblems of fishing teddies and the carnival carriage.  It's a beautiful walk and one that invokes creativity and imagination, so ask not what the painting means, just feel and interpret as you will. 

Merry X'mas & may all your dreams come true :)


Title:  Untitled 7 (A48) 
Description: Warm vintage painting of cool art shop with little girl and sleeping kitten, under a So Artsy sign and Chinese woman portrait, a quirky artist's haven with painting easel that is inspired by my dream art corner. 2015. 
Medium: Acrylic on Ready-to-Hang Canvas. 
Dimensions: 76 x 76cm.
Purchase at:  yen.artfire.com

Title:  Untitled 8 (A49) 
Description: Whimsical fishing teddy bears painting with sleeping cat, dog & rabbit on carriage, inspired by Japan Kyoto Philosopher's Path, in bluesy vintage expressionist style. 2015. 
Medium: Acrylic on Ready-to-Hang Canvas. 
Dimensions: 76 x 76cm.

SOLD. 

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.


Purchase at:  yen.artfire.com