Bamboo - Hide-and-seek series

 In a bamboo grove, children gather to play

a game of hide-and-seek.

 Zhao wo - Find me!

 

 Wo lai le! Counting to ten and I am coming!

 

 

Lai le - coming! 

 Ren ne? Where's everyone?

 Bamboo, alas there is peace.

 

The bamboo grove - the end.

Travel Art

I was contemplating whether to pack acrylic paints for a short getaway with family and friends. In the end, I dumped the paints because it did not make sense to lug around a heavy bag for a few days spent at a beach resort. Yet, I did not want to be caught unprepared when the mood to paint struck. So, I took my chinese brushes, bottle of ink and two sketchpads. I even brought along watercolour paints. In the end, I only made use of the ink.

Coconut trees in front of the beach.Small coconuts make interesting subjects on the dining table.
A cat hung around during meal times and we fed it with whatever extra food we had. My first attempt to paint this cat was disastrous because it looked like a giant rat.This is a improved version of the earlier painting because the rat features were less pronounced.

Preparing dinner at the dining table.

Washing up - we need more young volunteers.

The rain came in the afternoon leaving behind wet and coolness.

The kitchen from the bar counter.

More of the cat...

My usual practice of Chinese words with the chinese brush led to a spontaneous illustration of this excerpt from Jimmy Liao's novel 'Turn Left, turn Right. It is a far cry from the original drawing but this is only my humble interpretation.

After that, I just let myself go, so it was one flower after another painted fast and from imagination without referring to any photos or pictures from books.

Sunflower

Glory Lily

Crinum Asiatica

Hydrangea

Practice

This is just a sketch of lotus flowers based on photos of individual flowers. I composed the drawing of how they would look together filling in the space between them with lotus leaves the way I imagined they would look to complement these blooms. Ideally, I would like this picture to be in colour. Ideally! Perhaps I might return to this drawing at a later time to fill in the colours, or perhaps I might replicate this drawing in colour. I do not like to dwell on a drawing or painting for too long for I lose interest somehow.

Next, I saw a photo of twoVanda Miss Joaquim orchid flowers in a book on Tropical Flowers. In doing this drawing I was able to appreciate how intricate a design nature has come up with in this flower even though the overall impression, to me, is that it is rather plain and unimpressive. After this exercise in which I had to look at the flower in greater detail, I am quite convinced that orchid flowers are good subjects for drawing and painting.

Tree

Look at this tree! Chinese brush painting for the first time and it's a fantastic creation by my son. Wow, I am so inspired!

Time-filler

Painting with Chinese ink and brush is very relaxing. I don't have to labour over choices of colours because I only work with black and white here. How you use the brush is up to your imagination and how you make impressions and forms on paper is something you can explore to your heart's content.

Most of all, I can do quick paintings in between things I have to do in a day.

Torch Ginger - preliminary to oil/acrylic painting

I heeded my daughter's advice that I should just paint no matter what may be distracting me from doing so. 'Just go and do your chinese brush painting mum!' and I did. Though I like the free flowing actions that the chinese brush allows me, I am still very much in love with the use of oils or acrylic and addicted to the details rather than letting myself go along with impressions and fine lines that I could have employed using Chinese brush painting techniques. So as time progressed, my painting got darker and darker but it gave me the incentive to move onto oil. This weekend perhaps!

Preliminary paintings

These chinese brush paintings will eventually lead to an oil or acrylic painting on the subject of Torch Gingers. I cannot lose momentum for if I do, the oil/acrylic painting dream will be not be attainable.

Passiflora edulis - a fascinating flower to paint. It does not matter to me that the colours are not accurate. I just felt that I had to follow a certain feel I have about this flower having taken so many photos of it.

Shell

I just love holding the Chinese brush, dipping it into water, loading it with black ink and just feel the fluidity that comes naturally whenever I hold this kind of brush. Today I bought some inexpensive colour paints. Soon, there will be more colours...

Helmet Shell

I remember that I bought this Helmet Shell from a roadside stall in Pulau Langkawi several years ago. And then it dawned on me that I have boxes and boxes of sea shells containing shells I had picked up from beaches as well as those that were purchased or given by friends. What good practice subjects they will make!

I really love using Chinese brushes as they are so versatile. I could use the same brush for lines and details as well as to create impressions of what is there.

Moments that were well lived

Drawing the outline of a tile painting (set of three hanging on my wall) with a soft ink pen.
I may leave it as it is or I may try to brush-paint over it.
A diversion - painting copies from the brush painting book I bought that teaches you how to paint animals, flowers and people.

When I had finished with those above, I thought I would try to capture the essence of the Cantonese Opera 'Princess Chang Ping' in the VCD cover picture. Art for me now is pure experimentation. I have no aim to meet any pre-conceived expectations that others may have in terms of creativity and technique. I wield a brush the way a dancer holds a fan and paint the way she dances to the melody in her heart. Because I have adopted this attitude towards my endeavour in art, I am now experiencing a freedom to explore different ways to enjoy art that I did not possess before.