Fishing Boats - Penang

How did you spend your Christmas? I hope you all had a grand time! Well, I went back to my hometown and spent quality time with my family. I guess that's what Christmas is really all about... being with your loved ones and having a meal or two together :clap: :thumbsup: ..... although most festive holidays are now being exploited for commercialism and profit-making and lost their true meaning :(

Anyway, I was bored one afternoon when Javier is having his afternoon nap, so I took out my painting gears and painted this scene in Penang, Malaysia based on a photo I took last year.

I spent about 2 hours on this piece. Painted on Fabriano Artistico using Rembrandt, Schmincke, M.Graham and Holbein Artist Grade watercolour paints.

Hope you like it. Critiques and comments are welcome as usual.

Wishing you a HAPPY & PROSPEROUS new year 2008!

Doing OK on eBay...

I had my two wisdom teeth on my left as well a badly decayed tooth - 3 in total - extracted on Tuesday, my left cheek is swelling and it's uncomfortable... but hopefully after it heals, I can enjoy cold drinks and ice-creams again without any pain!

I have been trying to sell my smaller paintings through eBay since a few years back but have not been very successful. I put down my distance away from the USA and Europe where the majority of eBay art buyers are located as one of the main reasons why my eBay business has not been doing well. Another reason could be the subject matters that I paint. Street scenes and landscapes of Singapore, Malaysia and South East Asia may not exactly attract buyers from Western countries.

However, I gave it another shot towards the end of last year and have been listing most of my quarter sheet sized plein air paintings. To my delight and surprise, they are selling well. Almost all my paintings were sold either on the first listing or relist. I wouldn't say they are selling like hot cakes yet, but at least they are moving out of my studio and off to someone else's walls.

So, what makes the difference? Perhaps my painting skill has improved leaps and bounds compared to two or three years ago, which I honestly hope so. Distance may not be a problem after all since a registered article from Singapore could generally reach any distance worldwide within two weeks of mailing... and I now realized there are many people who are mesmerized by the simplicity and beauty of South East Asia.... or may be it's just my persistence that paying off now! :-)

Here are two other paintings that I've just listed on eBay... wish me luck!

Emerald Hill, Singapore (11" x 15")
SOLD

Chew Jetty, Penang (11" x 15")
SOLD

Fishing Boats at Telok Bahang, Penang

Happy Mooncake Festival to all!

During my visit to Penang a couple of weeks ago, our host took us to Telok Bahang, Penang, where we can do some sketching and plein-aire painting at a fishing village there.

However, before that, we made an unscheduled stop at a nearby art gallery run by a family of artists and then spent one whole hour looking at the many beautiful artworks on display. By the time we reached the fishing village, it's almost noon but we were still very eager to get something painted.

So, I sat down and picked this scene.


Not all artists did a full scale watercolour painting though, some sketched; some did line and wash, and two of us did full-scale painting. Therefore, most of them were done when I was still half-way through my painting.

By 2.30pm, we were all hungry, so I had to pack up although I still have some darks to add. It's not good to let seniors of 50-60 years olds wait for a 31 years old junior, is it? ;-)

So, I had to bring it home and do the rest of the painting back in Singapore. I'd say it's about 80% done on plein-aire and 20% done at home where I added darks and finished off the whole painting.

Well, here it is.... I decided to exclude the little red hut on the right as I felt it would fight for attention with the beautiful fishing boats, which should be the main focus of this painting.

Hope you like it. Comments and critiques are welcomed as usual.

Half Sheet of Fabriano Artistico (approx 14" x 21"), painted with W&N, Rembrandt and M.Graham artist paints.

In Love With Penang

Javier is now 3 months old... he can roll-over, hold his head up and smile back us... too cute!

I was part of a 6-person contingent from Singapore Watercolour Society (SWS) that paid Penang a visit in conjuction with the Penang-Singapore Watercolour Exhibition. Our travelling group consists of Seah Kam Chuan, Seah Kang Chui, Chew Piak San, Loy Chye Chuan, Anne Lim Geok Kuan and myself.














We are indeed very honoured to be invited by Penang Watercolour Society (PWCS) to participate in their annual exhibition this year. There were 16 and 36 artists from SWS and PWCS respectively who took part in this joint-exhibition held from 21 September - 10 October 2006 at The Penang State Art Gallery.

Unlike Singapore, Penang still exudes a sense of old-world charm where old buildings and shophouses are still not heavily renovated, and even those that were, they were done tastefully and their original architecture and facade remained intact, unlike the many weird combination of colours (think pink, orange, green, magenta, etc) found in the refurbished shophouses in Singapore. Who in the right mind could think of such mismatched of colours?




















There are still roadside hawker stalls selling mouth-watering local dishes like Penang laksa, Char Kway Tiaw, and Wanton Noodles just to name a few. While taking pictures of the scene, I was fascinated by the hustle and bustle on the busy market and the somewhat disorganized traffic flow where trishaw riders, scooters and pedestrians tried to move about in the congested market. With old shophouses lining the street that serve as the backdrop, it is indeed a refreshing and interesting sight.

There are also plenty of fishing villages and ports where people lives a more laid-back lifestyle but yet diligently work on their trade to provide seafood supplies to the local markets and restaurants. We visited Chew Jetty where villagers of the surname Chew live in houses with stilts on top of the seaside and theirhouses are connected by wooden walkway. **We joked that Chew Piak San and I will be always welcomed to stay there for free since we share their surname** :-)

We managed to spend some time at Telok Bahang doing sketches and plein air paintings at a jetty with many fishing boats docking at the side (I'll blog on the painting on another post).
















Penang is also famous for its many places of worship like the Kek Lok Si Temple, the Snake Temple, etc. We visited Wat Chayamangkalaram Temple with the giant Reclining Buddha, Dharmikarama Burmese Temple and The Khoo Kongsi. Each temple has its own unique architecture and have its own importance in Penang's rich historical and cultural background.

Another site that worth mentioning is the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, a blue coloured building that is so rich with Chinese heritage that it was deservedly awarded the UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Award 2000. The building itself is a masterpiece of chinese architecture and its breathtaking exterior walls and interior halls and courtyards are incorporated with many feng shui symbols which explain the owner's fascination with this ancient study of yin and yang.
















It has been the most enjoyable and memorable trip to Penang. I've tried Penang Laksa at a roadside stall (but of course my favourite is still Sarawak Laksa), walked around the city center and being mesmerized by the colonial buildings and the many old shophouses and most important of all, made new friends who shared the love of painting.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Khoo Cheang Jin (the president of PWCS), Ch'ng Kiah Kiean, Alex Leong, Ooi Chee Kheng and Tan Tee Hean for taking time out from their busy schedules to fetch us from the airport, taking us around your beautiful island of Penang and being the most gracious host. Your friendship and hospitality are very much appreciated. We hope to return the favour when you visit Singapore.