Waterfront Colours

Yesterday I visited the Kuching Waterfront after missing it for quite a while since my arrival here early this month. I have taken a number of photos of the Kuching Waterfront in this blog and some of the shop houses too. The strong and varied colours of some of them can be seen here. This morning I had the itch to render two of the shop houses I took pictures of yesterday. I had it done in mixed media as a trial sketch finished in just about 40 minutes.

Kuching Waterfront Shop house, 18 x 14 cm, mixed media.

The Kuching Waterfront is my regular haunt now and I guess many paintings in future will feature the scenes around the area. The above is a start as I need to do lots more for my coming 2nd solo exhibition. Anyway, more pictures of colourful sampans are shown below. These sampans too will be target for my future paintings and sketches. Soon the Kuching Waterfront will be very busy with a regatta which I am looking forward too. I guess I'll not miss it this time because I'm in Kuching till the end of the month. The regatta is to be held towards end of this month.

Sampans or small river ferry boats are receiving a coat of colours at the Kuching Waterfront,in time for the Kuching Regatta.

Feliciano Songs for the Recording

I'm checking my list of songs to be recorded for my own rendition of Jose Feliciano songs for my 2nd Solo Exhibition in October.   Of course there are many other singers that I'll be imitating like the Bee Gees, Beatles and other Indonesian and Malaysian singers for songs in Malay.

Since today is a holiday in Sarawak ( Ist June= Padi Harvest Holiday or Gawai Dayak), I set the whole day to practice singing on the guitar a couple of Jose's songs that I will record in Bintulu next week.  

My fascination for Jose Feliciano's style of singing grew slowly over the years.  In 1971 I sang for the first time "Rain" in an open air concert at the Universiti Sains Malaysia in Penang while as an undergraduate student there.  Much later in the 1980's I sang "Loving Her Was Easier" in a big hall with the Chief Minister of Sarawak in attendance.  On both occassions I sang with the guitar. Jose's voice continue to astound me with his bagful of soul in interpreting songs to his masterly style of guitar work and a voice that only great singers possess.

 

The list of songs that I'll record soon:

Angela

Che Sera

First of May

Gotta Get A Message to You

In My Life

Light My Fire

Loving Her Was Easier

Old Turkey Buzzard

Rain

The Air That I Breathe

The Last Thing On My Mind

Windmills of Your Mind

Growing Heliconia Collection

After about a year plus of actively adding to my collection of heliconias at my Bintulu and Kuching gardens, I realise that for the purpose my 2nd Solo Art Exhibition there would be enough quantities for use as displays or floral arrangement during the occasion. Of course one of the highlights of the show would be a live demonstration by me on the different styles of daily cut flowers based on heliconias among other plants.
Heliconias have a unique tropical aura and exotic look to them since they are native to the deep rainforests of Amazon and Borneo. Commonly called 'Bird of Paradise ' or 'Parrot Flower', they are indeed long lasting as cut flowers mostly about 2-3 weeks with cut tips in water. The duration speaks volumes of its economics. I grow them for their very colourful bracts ( false flowers). My latest collection is the Rainbow Heliconia (Heliconia wagneriana ) as seen below. Other ideas I have for the show are; sketches, paintings, batik and abstract, photography, binders, post cards all based on the subject of heliconias.

Rainbow Heliconia ( Heliconia wagneriana )

Heliconia latispatha

Parrot Flower (Heliconia psittacorum)

Lobster Claw ( Heliconia spp)

Heliconia psittacorum spp.

Parrot Flower ( Heliconia psittacorum)

Parrot Flower ( Heliconia psittacorum spp)

Fire Crackers ( Heliconia rostrata)

Lobster Claw ( Heliconis stricta )

Heliconia 'Sassy Pink'

Progress Towards 2nd Solo

The show is scheduled 14.10.09 which is about 21 weeks from now. The adrenalin rush creeps in slowly. This last week I was busy with checking out possible venue for my 2nd Art Solo. A few organisations have expressed willingness to allow their buildings/rooms as venue. Seems that venue is not that critical now.

The progress so far:

# Checking world art sites, artist blogger sites, photographer's sites - 70%

#List of songs to be recorded/rehearsed - 10%

#Framing of paintings - 10%

#Conceptual layout of exhibition space - 20%

# Marketing Plan for Exhibition - 20%

# Updating of my relevant blogs for the show - cats (current), floral arrangement (catching up), photography-Bintulu and Kuching (current), landscaping ( catching up), history (behind schedule), poetry (current), eco-farming ( behind schedule)

( Note: Next Review Date : 1 June - 1 July - 1 August - 1 September - 1 October )

Over the many trips to Kuching, I have managed to transport about 14 big paintings from Bintulu, with more to be transported in near future. The above are some of the collections already in Kuching and framed.

Above is CU of my painting in mixed media entitled 'Door of Life' which is inspired from a short poem I wrote in 1974 called - 'Doors of Life '.

Doors of Life

The doors of life are always open

But it is to open our mind and heart

To be self-concious of Life and Existence

That remains a task.

I'm Blogged

I was lost for words when I read Deb Peterson's comments on my post "Art Through the Years' published in this blog earlier . Deb is a Guide to Continuing Education at About.com, part of the New York Times company. In her blog she highlighted on my idea of showcasing my various interests in my coming 2nd solo art exhibition. Her blog is here. I felt deeply honoured,touched and overwhelmed with joy upon reading her write up. I'm encouraged more than ever to make a real success of the exhibition especially now that it has attracted interest from across the Pacific.

Life-long learning is a growing passion for me. I remember a few years ago when I was doing a garden for a Japanese lady in Bintulu. She casually mentioned in very simple words how important is learning to an individual. She said knowledge is kept in our head. It will always be with you wherever you go. How can you not benefit from learning? On a more philosophical level, I believe that we humans are honey gatherers of the mind. We fly back and forth to treasure up the beehives of our knowledge - where our true heart lies. In the best of human spirit whatever knowledge we have should be used to prosper mankind. Through the Internet and Blogging we are empowered to share knowledge on a scale unimagined of a generation earlier - borderless, online and with the minutest of cost. So, Deb the pleasure is mine.

Art Through the Years

My most treasured Art certificate , stenciled on blue manila card. Simple yet priceless. Year: 1966
I have been addicted to Art since my primary school days. When I was 15 years old I won a second place in our school-wide art competition. For that I was awarded a certificate which I still keep because it meant so much to me. Walking up the stage to receive the certificate was a very memorable moment in my life.


Painting plein air at the Brighton Beach, Miri,1968. ( Inset) I'm the one on right of the picture.Note: One of my senoirs at school told me later in life that I was one of those kids who joined the school small, and left the school - small. He admitted I was indeed his 'compact' friend!.I knew now that I was always a late developer. And for that reason I take it to be my duty to learn life-long.

In 1967 I continued my upper secondary schooling at Tanjong Lobang School , Miri. For four intensive years I opted for Art as one of my favourite subjects, among others like Geography, History and General Science. In Miri I was under the masterly guidance of Mr. Voong, my Art teacher who migrated to Australia after I finished my studies at the school. He was instrumental in providing the proper basic Art education in my early formative years. Thanks to him I've never stopped learning Art. In 1970 I sat for the Higher School Certificate and obtained a Principal Pass A in Art. Later in my university days ( 1971-1973) I took History as my major, but never forget to add Art-related subjects as option like - Aesthetics, Buddhist Sculpture in South East Asia, Drama in South East Asia, Puppet Theatre and Children's Theatre. Through these formal studies I learnt many philosophies, methods, techniques, concepts and appreciation of Art in a very wide context.


Friends and Artists pose at my 1 st Solo Exhibition, 14/10/1981, Kuching.

In 1981, I got a new job as an administrator in housing development with a major regional development agency having headquarters at Kuching. Being the Art capital of Sarawak, I took this opportunity to organise my 1st Solo Art Exhibition there. Held at the Sarawak Museum it was the first solo I ever did and grateful that I made it.

Me painting in 1992 at my studio, Bintulu.

It has been a long, very long time that I have not hold any solo exhibition. I have made a commitment to undertake it this year. Like the first solo, it was held to celebrate my 30th birthday and this year's will be to celebrate my 58th . I have less than 27 weeks to prepare for the big day. Anyway, like what is fashionable now, I have opened a web blog to record my thinking, preparation etc for the coming exhibition.To follow, click here. However this new exhibition will be very different because it will integrate all my diverse interests ( I picked along the way) in the show as follows: Photography, Landscaping, Gardening, Writing, Cats, Floral Art, Singing and finally Blogging. The exhibition will showcase my Life Story.

Kuching Reservoir Park

Kuching Reservoir Park today.

Today I went to visit Kuching Reservoir Park which is located at Pearse Road , a 10 minutes walking distance from Kuching City centre. There is a vivid and memorable story that I would like to share here of the park which I painted in mixed media ( water colour, felt pen and crayons) way back in 1982. This painting , now 27 years old is still in my custody and will be displayed at my 2nd solo exhibition scheduled in October this year in Kuching. As I see it today the very colourful ixora shrubs that nestled below the two trees are gone.

'Kuching Reservoir Park' in mixed media, circa 1982, 22x29 cm, Artist Collection.

Gone too is the rich collection of water lily plants that floated in abundance in the pond. The side of the ponds where the two trees stood were protected by 'belian' timber planks and posts. Today however the embankment is protected by stone pitching. After 27 years the trees have really grown up and pleased to see today that the municipal council have tagged the names of the trees on the tree trunks ( viz 'Bintagor Laut' and 'Penanga Laut'). The Japanese bridge still retain its red colour but the railing that is seen at the far background is no more there. The railings were fixed on top of the reservoir wall then to allow visitors to have a higher view of the ponds. In recent years the dam wall was demolished and thus the red railing. The dam was erected more than 100 years ago to store water and filter them for the consumption of Kuching town population. Today it merely functions as a public park.

What captivated me then was the interplay of the sun's rays against the juxtaposition of colours of the liles, water, leaves, flowers and the red railings. Despite the lack of flowering shrubs around the place now, this is being compensated by the lush greenery. When I walked through the park this morning the cheerful twittering and flight of birds were plenty and the shouts of children followed every where they ran . I felt very happy today to have recorded the park 27 years ago in a painting as testimony of me being there. "I was here".

( Click here to see more of my paintings done many, many years ago)

Exhibition Book

This is the book cover that I designed and authored to accompany my 1 st Solo Art and Poetry Exhibition in 1981 . A copy of the book is kept at the Library of Congress and can be searched by browsing the Library of Congress Online Catalogue, and then typing "Pameran Lukisan dan Puisi Mood" under basic search. This book contains a collection of my poems in English and Bahasa Malaysia which I wrote from 1967 - 1980 and sketch drawings of the paintings on show. It contains 53 pages. The book size is 21 cm x 12.5 cm. Why sketch drawings? I couldn't afford to publish it in colour or have the paintings photographed! Therefore the catalogue of paintings were sketched.

Well, the coming 2nd Solo Exhibition will be a lot more different. Colour images will be there. Better printing and professional touches to all design and copy writing. The book will be bigger and thicker to cover all the newer interests and hobbies I picked along the last 28 years. Chiefly among them are : landscaping, eco-farming, tropical cut flowers, writing, photography and cats.

Tropical Cut Flowers

• As part of my 2nd solo exhibition (scheduled October 2009) one category of artworks that would be displayed will be tropical cut flowers. To have a glimpse of them please click to daily cut flowers at the left side bar.
  
• I am thinking of reproducing them and newer ones which will be done throughout this year in a book to be launched during the exhibition. My love affair with cut tropical cut flowers can be explained briefly below:
• It's rich, vibrant and need I say 'hot' colours - e.g. red ginger,varieties of hibiscus, heliconias etc make our immediate surroundings alive
• They cost little as those plants are a step out of the garden
• The arrangements make great conversational pieces especially when presented in modern or international idioms e.g. tropical ikebana, minimalism , etc
• A way to promote 'Laman Kambatik' ( Malaysian Garden) concept of nativity, accidental beauty ( as in batik inspirations) experimentalism e.g. its artistry and diversity - colourful foliage,seeds and bracts.

A Chinese painting

I saw this Chinese painting displayed outside a Bintulu frame maker's shop the other day. What attracted me to the painting was its large size and the vibrancy of the colours. It struck me that in my 'nexart exhibition' scheduled in October, 2009 at Kuching I will put on show newer paintings done in the Chinese stlye. In my earlier art training days at Tanjong Lobang School, Miri ( 1967-1970), I was fortunate to have been taught the basics of Chinese painting over a four years period under the guidance of Mr . Voong, our art teacher who later migrated to Australia. Typical of many Chinese paintings, the red stamp or seal and calligraphy is shown at the upper right hand corner of the picture above. The blotting technique employed above is very effective, I thought. It renders the flowers a reality that is fresh and lasting.

Bintulu Sketches starts today

I have decided to undertake my second solo art exhibition next year. I have not decided over the actual show date but it should not be later than 14th October. This morning I began my practice run. The above watercolour sketch I did in half an hour . One of the implications of this decision is that I will have the oportunity to start posting in my drawing blog created sometime ago. Here goes another challenge I put to myself besides the current one which I do on a daily basis. Well, it comes to creativity it is a challenge I crave and brave for.