Goodbye Singapore

The strange thing with blogs (or is it common?), is that you start with so much enthusiasm, you have so much to say, that you cannot wait for the following day to write another post. You don't want the reader to think you are addicted to your own words, although you are...
And you gather photos, and you make long lists of what you are going to write about, and you check your stats, and you don't tell anyone as if you are indifferent...

So I started this blog about a year ago. I took photos frantically, and I have made long lists. For a while I kept going, and as with everything else in life, the new becomes less new, and thus not so attractive, and I wrote less frequently, until I stopped writing altogether.

I wanted to write about the art schools of Singapore, the street art, the astonishing architecture which is not like anything you have ever seen.

As for my art - It has been quite an adventure here in many ways. My art has changes. It took a turn to something I feel very comfortable with, something I feel at home with it. Though I have not been working from morning till night, I have produced about 100 paintings and drawings, some I am very proud of.

Yesterday I have finished my last paintings in Singapore. Looking at it again now I realize, that it resembles somehow the first painting I did here.

the last painting is called Still Standing (A2 Pastels on paper) -

 



p.s. The photo is not blare and you don't need to rush to the optician... The background is done purposely blared :-)

 

Here is the first painting I did here about a year ago (Acrylics on A3 paper):

 

In a few days we are heading back home with a lot of good memories from this stay in Singapore and with a pile of paintings.

 

Goodbye Singapore.





Art-ventures

Recently I have started to draw fairly big drawings with 0.7 2B pencils (that is the common mechanical pencils). I sit very close to my work, pay attention to details. It is mainly hard labor which requires full control of your hand and concentration.

 

  

It is very new to me and I like the process. It makes the work almost personal. It, somewhat, resembles the mosaics process - small pace, touching equally every tiny space on the surface.
Oh, and yes, very addictive...

It is so different from how I used to paint or draw in the past. I worked then very rapidly, bold colors, bold brush strokes, details were not very important, all attention was to the expression, feeling and mood.

In the last few days I have done these two portraits:

They are rapid, bold and dirty. Just needed to see if I still had it in me. I must admit I had to work here rather small (A3). Painting big requires standing, and with my aging back, it is not an option.

But with art there are always new adventures. All you need is open your eyes, widen your heart, loosen your brain to meet them.

The Asian touch

Some people might say that my art keeps changing, some might also say that I have no consistency, and therefore other might say, that by being all over, my art is not solid. Well... they might have a point... or not... :-)

I have read an article recently about building a consistent body of work for an exhibition. Even raising this topic means that not all artists work the same. Some would work with the same media most of their life or stick to the same subject and others.. well.. will be all over.

The truth is that I get so bored easily. With everything! My art is who I am, looking for other venues to ease my boredom.
However, looking at my art during the last 15 years (and I am indicating just the last 15 years, because I started to be a full-time artist 15 years ago), you can see, not only the changes, but also how my previous art influence my current one, and how my surrounding influences it too.

I have just finished a new painting. 15 years ago I was working a lot with ready-made. For example look here. Then I moved back and forth from media to media, however, acrylics were the "home" I've always returned to.

Using my nowadays methods I gave my painting a "twist". I added a ready-made (broken china) and painted a Chinese plate. I am in Singapore after all :-)

And of-course it has the hint of mosaic art which I love so much :-)

Location, Location, Location

We left Singapore for a short vacation to our second home in Europe, where I (also) have all the art supplies I need. A vase with roses waited for us on the table, and I've decided to paint them. Luckily I took a photo because they died after two days...
Not being comfortable with painting flowers, it took me four days to complete rather a small acrylic painting.

I have realized that in my European home I paint differently than in my Singaporean one. I cannot tell why, but this is a fact!
In both locations I paint at home with the same medium. And in both places I am happy with my home. So what is it really that changes one approach in art???

Many of the old masters moved to southern France both for its cost of living and its weather.
Our second home is (sort of) in southern France, and that does not make me a master, sadly not even nearly... The light here and in Singapore is not much different (neither that cost of living).
Nevertheless, my art is different.

The birth of a tree

A new tree was born, an additional to my trees' family. If you have followed my art lately you've realized that I am into trees lately. Their branches create a fabulous abstract structure. In fact, Mondrian early works was a study of trees which were slowly diverted into abstract, leading the way to his famous red-blue-yellow famous square abstracts.

My trees (as most of my paintings lately) start with blue lines marking their branches. Then they develop either to very graphic forests or with a touch of impressionism.
Usually the colors are unnatural.

Today I finished another tree. This time it has more realistic colors. Here it is:

 

As always it began with blue lines and then came the background. Yes, I know... It is somewhat backwards. Usually you should begin with the background and only then you draw the lines. Makes life easier. However, I like how the imperfect background covers parts of the lines, making them less sharp.

 

Finishing this part allows me to check the composition, see if I am happy with it. Then I continue to the stage which will be my second layer of background.

 

It starts to feel like trees and I like the depth, but the whole thing is too impressionistic to my liking. Third and hopefully last layer will make it more graphic.

 

So, I choose now to add somewhat childish leaves. Their colors are bright, the edges sharp, pulling them forward and by that making the background deeper.

 

 

Again I need to check the composition. Oddly, I cannot see it objectively just by looking at it. I use the large mirror in my studio or even better, I take a photo and check it on my computer.

I am not happy. There is no balance and the background looks flat.

Another day of work, additional leaves, treating again the background with some green mixed with red.

I am done!

I sign!









Art supplies in Singapore

I don't claim to know all the venues where you can find art materials in Singapore. I know of two places where I visit frequently lately.

My favourite one is Strais. A small shop run, as it looks, by a family, a very smiling helpful people.

 

 

My favourite corner is that of the acrylic paints. They have the best quality -  Golden. Each time I am there, I buy more and more tubes of this fantastic paste. If I continue like that, Golden will have to move into producing colors that don't exist to fulfil my appetite. 

 

 

Across the road, in Bras Brasah Complex, there is Art Friend shop, which is huge, full of supplies, but disappointing in acrylic paints. 

 

 

I love Bras Brasah Complex. It is one of the old shopping centers still exit in Singapore, which have become an extinct species. Old building are being demolished, replace by state-of-the-art architecture, really mouth drooling. But entering an old complex let you feel the old Singapore, with its warmth and Asian characteristics.

 



I went to Straits yesterday to buy yet more materials. The car "screamed" that is needed fuel. I had no clue where was the nearest gasoline station, so I turned on the annoying GPS, waited for it to warn me to drive carefully... bla bla bla... and I clicked to let it direct me to the nearest station. She (the digital lady in the GPS) guided me alright, but... I didn't believe her...
She told me to keep straight, but on the left there was a tiny street which "smelled" like fuel. So I made the left turn... so what if the sign said it was cul de sac... I didn't believe it either...
500 meters into the narrow street the road ended with no fuel to be found.
I manoeuvred a U-turn, and then I saw this worker resting. I thought it deserved a shot.

 

I do have trust issues...

Orchids and Singapore

Vanda Miss Joaquim was chosen to be Singapore's national flower.
To read more about this type of Orchid and other related topics click here.

Living in Singapore, I have decided to give the Orchids a chance... Painting flowers is way out of my comfort zone. Give me portraits, abstracts even trees and you will make me happy. Flowers were never my favourites... I don't even like to have flowers at home. Love them in the garden, and starting today, love them on my canvas :-).

I started as usual with my blue lines on a prepared canvas with an under-paint, continuing with painting the flowers -

Then I added my background blue lines, which will create an abstract net, painting each section separately with warm colors. This will be my second under colors. I do it, though later it will be totally covered, because the warmth of the colors will influence the third layer -

 

And here it is - Bursting Orchids (20x36 inches, acrylic on canvas) -



One last word -
This is not the Vanda Miss Joaquim, but a related sibling which I have absolutely no clue what its name is.

The rolling wave

We were recently in Bali, a short flight, a short vacation.
We drove up to Ubud to see the local art. Ubud has a reputation for a significant Balinese art. Sadly, with the tourism, the original art was transformed to please the western crowd. I must admit, I do admire some of the art displayed there, however, they produce the paintings over and over. So are these originals??

Though I was disappointed by the art, I was fascinated by the sea. The waves were mesmerising. I took endless photos of these waves, and then did some drawing study.

 

Then I did it with acrylic on paper, size A3 -

 

And then it turned into an abstract (acrylic on canvas, 20x36 inches) -

What I am about to write

I am not new to blogging. But instead of continuing writing in my old blog, which has been running for quite a long time, I have decided to create a new one.
This one will be about my general art (instead of mainly mosaics) and about the place I currently live in.
I presume that some posts will be totally NOT related to art but to the place I live in, which is Singapore.

So stay tunes, I'll back in a sec with some more.

:-)