Looking for Outdoor Sketchers? Painters?

Wouldn't this be fun? My last posting triggered various responses - mostly via emails to me. Thank you, the only commenter to use the post comment Amin Saim who, in his own right, is an accomplished sketcher. If you wish, you may visit his site here: MySketch and enjoy his unique pieces. Among the responses I received via email are those enquiring about my location and where do I normally paint or sketch outdoors. Well, I am city-bound for geographical rhyme and reason. There are plenty of places which are my favourite ranging from busy street scenes to placid lakes and verdant gardens. Sketching and painting outings are limited by time and distance, with the coastal areas being my favourite. So, I hope this answers the questions two ladies from Johor baru have forwarded three days in between each other. To writer Raj from Cheras, yes, I do go around my painting outings in the city. Normally these are what I do alone because no one would be crazy enough to go armed with a sketch pad and box of colours, sit under shade and start painting. I have not met any one crazy enough to join me, too, which is why the soliquy. In any case, I am hoping to form a small group of amateur artists of similar interests in watercolour. If you are reading this and are interested, let me know. You may write to me or post your comments.

Do you know the artist who drew this?

Reader KK sent me these three watercolour pieces. They are done in Malacca if I am not mistaken. If anyone has seen similar works, please get in touch with me. I would like to find out more about this watercolourist. According to KK, the name of the artist is Arthur PY Ting. Could it be Arthur Teng? I am just guessing. The latter is the renowned photographer. I don't know if he did any painting. For what it's worth, it could be a Malacca artist by similar name. Let me know if you know the artist. Thank you.

One week to promote Malaysia at Covent Garden. Anyone promoting art?

This year, I was made to understand, Malaysia will be having its biggest Malaysia Week promotion ever at the Covent Garden in London. According to Bernama (see here), Britons (and tourists) visiting the event, which will be held from June 5, will be treated to a kaleidoscope of attractions. 'Malaysia Week' Promises Britons More M'sian Flavours KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 (Bernama) -- Visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists from 66 countries annually, London's Covent Garden Market is definitely the most apt to once again become the stage for Malaysia Week to be held for six days from June 5. Based on last year's success, the Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry is bringing a bigger group with 127 delegates to showcase the uniqueness of Malaysian flavours to Britons and foreign visitors to the one of the most visited destinations in London. According to the report, Ministry of Culture Art and Tourism secretary-general Datuk Zakiah Ahmad as saying that apart from the usual fashion and cultural shows, visitors would also have the opportunity to participate in daily interactive sessions. Quote: "We are also bringing along a group of young dancers from Tunas Budaya Pahang to perform as the Britons love children's performances. From our past experience, each time young dancers came on stage the crowds would fill up the space to the brink," she said. Visitors will also have the opportunity to see for themselves batik hand-painting, songket-weaving and wood-carving, among others. As an art lover, I do hope some space is reserved to showcase Malaysian work of art. This is because art - specifically painting: oil, watercolour, acrylic, etc. - is an unofficial medium to record the history of a country's progress. It is a visual record of what the country has gone through, right from the day it was founded to its current state. This is important because this year Malaysia celebrates its golden Merdeka anniversary. What we have gone through the past 50 years have been recorded in both photography and other visual media. But nothing is more provocative than in a piece of art. In painting, the visual record is more than just a snap of the camera's shutter that freezes the event unfolding before the photographer's eyes. When as artist paints the event of his day, he records both visually and through his personal experience and thoughts of that moment. Just look at the works of old and you will see what I mean. Check out the works of Yong Mun Sen or Abdullah Ariff. Who can forget Yong's tin dredge, rubber tappers or fishermen returning from sea? And who can forget Abdullah's famous depiction of the open cast mine and miners working at the palong? Or his work of children swimming in irrigation canals? These are our heritage. I hope this aspect of Malaysia is showcased during the week-long event. Abdullah Ariff's Bumi Bahagia (Good Earth) - 1970 Yong Mun Sen's Pagi Hari (Dawn) - 1970

Please bring back Laman Seni

It has been sometime (close to a year or more?) that the Laman Seni has been discontinued, you know, the monthly event at the National Art Gallery car park?. I remember getting quite excited about it when it was first launched. Artists who have been trying hard to make a living finally had a place to showcase and sell their work. It was also an opportunity for artlovers to meet them and talk art in a less formal atmosphere. But the thing that excited me most was that the event would bring some life to the National Art Gallery - whose sparse crowd, I believe was confined to school tour groups and handful of tourists. In fact, I think the days when the Laman Seni was held, the gallery had seen more visitors that it ever did after it shifted from opposite the KL Railway Station to now at Lake Titiwangsa. In those days, when it occupied the building opposite the Railway Station, the gallery was in the tourist belt and within walking distance of the main transport hub. But when it shifted to Jalan Tun Razak, it was well out of the way - until in recent years when a bus service plied the area. So, when Laman Seni at National Art Gallery was stopped (according to rumours, it was to allow renovation work on the gallery premises), I was keeping my fingers crossed that it would be brought back - fast. Little announcement was made at that time, and regulars who had gone to the monthly event were caught by surprise the first few months. So did a number of tourists who had gone there to check it out. Now, I think the renovations to the gallery are almost completed. Will the Laman Seni be brought back? I really don't want to speculate. But I did wonder why the organisers decided to pull it out because of renovation work to the gallery. Couldn't it be moved to the Istana Budaya grounds next door just to sustain the crowd interest? To my mind, Laman Seni was something that the National Art Gallery had done right in many, many years in the promotion of art. Thr crowd were coming to the National Art Gallery too because of it. Perhaps the organisers thought the monthly art mart had turned into somewhat of a rojak. Who can blame them, especially at the last few installments? Amidst the cacophony of loud music, you see everything under the sun - from trinkets to secondhand books - being offered. It had the trimmings of a successful flea mart, but certainly not the making of a good arts market. But then, what can be expected if all and sundry were allowed to set up stalls? But the lack of foresight could have led to the wisdom of hindsight by reorganising the event - by restricting participation to true artists and craftspersons. Keep out the traders plying anything that masquerades as works of art such as trinkets, Barbie doll wardrobes, fake eyelashes, and such. Send them to the flea marts, the pasar malam or the midnight bazaars. Of course, you need not restrict the art mart to painters alone. Get the traditional craftsmen in too, such as the makers of capal, songkok, labu sayong, or even lion heads and charpoi, if you wish. Don't just allow them to sell their goods but also get them to show how each is made. These are dying crafts few of us know about. Seeing these craftsmen at work, along with painters and other artisans is an experience of much value and what better place there is to showcase their work than at a regular, easily accessible arts mart? In Laman Seni we have something that is gaining popularity. It can help to promote Malaysian art, artists and craftsmen. I hope someone will bring it back. CAPAL - Traditional sandals being sold at the last Laman Seni. A craftsman making it would be more interesting, don't you think? Works of art these trinkets, but please leave them to the pasar malam or flea market-lah.

How do you like the new masthead?

I finally got this one up. Look at the new masthead? What do you think? I think it is more dynamic but your feedback is vital too. Give me your two cents worth...

Laman Seni - Postponed Until Further Notice

I heard about it a month ago - that the monthly Art Mart, Laman Seni, at the National Art Gallery will be postponed indefinitely. Attempts to get answers have not been successful. However, the first Saturday of October proved the rumours right - the event is no longer held at the compound of the National Art Gallery. The closure of this art event is a sad thing - especially for artists who had participated in the year-old monthly mart. From my observation, it was also a gathering for artists and for intending collectors to browse for new talents. But the greatest benefit must have gone to the National Art Gallery for I am sure, the total traffic garnered through all the past Laman Senis, would have been more that what the centre would have attracted since it moved to Persiaran Titiwangsa from its earlier abode opposite the KL Railway Station. But this must also be said: That the organisation of Laman Seni, unsupervised, would have become yet another pasar malam or a flea market at best. In the last few installments, one could see that the number of knick-knack traders (those selling anything from sandals to shawls) have overtaken that of artists. Although the definition of art is subjective, I think the organisers should have limited the common, flea-mart traders' participation. They would have drawn crowd, no doubt, but allowing the proliferation of such trading trend would have reduced the status of an art mart to that of a flea market. Another aspect is the promotion of the monthly event. Except for banners lining the roads to the venue, the monthly mart is not much known about. Publicity came by word of mouth and the fact that the venue is 'out-of-the-way' also did little to help promote it. Perhaps the organisers have shelved it for a post-mortem, to see how this event can be improved. If this is the case, then it is all well and good for art and the artists colony. Then the monthly art mart can be brought back and made successful this time. The city is not without arts lovers, otherwise the Laman seni would not have survived so long. Images: Top - Oil paintings being offered at Laman seni. Bottom - Need sandals? Check them out at Laman Seni.

What do you do when inspirations dry up?

As a painter, this is one of the most dreaded moments. For some reason or the other, there will come a time when you simply cannot put your thoughts on paper and turn that observation into a piece of art that you used to. It can follow a personal crisis or during a particularly stressful period that concerns your working life. This is especially true when you are working full time and painting part-time. So what do you do? In my personal experience, when you are faced with such a time, the best thing is to lay off your painting sets a while, maybe for a day or two. It will be a good thing not to force youself to paint because if you do, and the work comes out bad, you will be more disappointed with it than if you had not drawn or painted anything. And it just might be the trigger that you could abandon your work, for good. On the extreme side of it, if you did not paint during a lull period, you might become too lazy to pick up the brush again, and end up abandoning your greatest love of all. Which is sad. So, as a watercolourist, what do you do? Or rather, as an artist, when is your next logical step? For me, I don't know about you and your methods may differ greatly, I normally change to sketchings and doodles. Sometimes, I even get hold of some pastel colours and start doing doodles as I would with watercolour of the things I see. I would never pay much attention to the work, just sketching and doodling as I go, capturing only the shapes and colours, paying no special attention to getting everything right. This way, I found out, keeps my drawing instincts intact. It may come out as a work or art, or it may turn out to be rubbish. Either way, you exercise your thoughts and keep them in good shape despite having a lull period. And when you have gained proper perspective to your woes, you will easily pick up your brush and paint that masterpiece again. Believe me, it works. Have a good day - painting or otherwise! Technorati Tags: art, watercolour,instruction,lessons

Watercolouring - Painting What You See

One of the greatest challenge facing a new painter is finding a suitable subject to paint. I have been asked, often, what is the best subject to paint: still life or scenery. To me, it doesn't really matter. If you like it, anything can be a subject. The important thing is you must have a passion in wangting to paint just about anything and I am sure anything is interesting enough if you set your eyes on it to capture your subject, be it people at the market, a lone fisherman in his moment of soliquy as he wait for the first bite or even a tray of fruits on the altar. My approach is usually to take observe anything and imagine how I would paint it. If I were to have a pencil (or pen) with me, a piece of paper or my notepad, I will immediately sketch out the forms and the colour values. I think this is how painters, beginners especially, should start. By improving one's drawing skills, sharpening one's observation powers, can one ever hope to paint well. Painting is but putting what is before you in paper, at least that is what I think is for me. The tough part is drawing. Many paintings have been a casualty of poor drawing techniques. Take a look at some of the greatest artists and I would like to quote John Singer Sargeant whose watercolour works are exquisitely simple but masterpieces. Sargeant was very detailed in his sketches as you can see in some of his works. Pictures: Sargeant's Study for Apollo and the Muses (top right) and Game of Chess (top left) available at the Adelson Galleries. Nearer to home, we have Yong Mun Sen, (1896 - 1962) who has sometimes been referred to as the “father of Malaysian art”, a title I think he truly deserves. Yong, whose life's works were depicted in his tribute exhibition catalogue by the Penang Art gallery in the late 90s, was also a meticulous painter who has a knack of recording his subjects in detailed drawings. Be it rubber tappers at work or a tin dredge, Yong has successfully documented various aspects of Malaysian life in his art. One of his exquisite works, the Dredge, is now in the collection of the Petronas Art Gallery. The piece, entitled Sungai Melaka (1953) (above) , depicts the artist's fascination with life - in this case the daily routine of traders along the Malacca River after the war. As a beginning painter, I think it is good to start by cultivating this drawing habit. Only when you can draw well, can you paint well.

Is it the craftsman, his tool or his skill?

I have just seen some of the greatest works of John Singer Sargeant (American Painter, 1856-1925). His watercolours were exquisite. I wonder what type of paper and paint he used. Couple of years ago, when I picked up watercolour again, I came into contact with a group of enthusiastic watercolourists at a forum. The topic was techniques and materials. Subjects came into play centered around paint to use and what paper to buy, etc. Of course, there were questions on brushes, too. The elderly artist who was the sole panelist surprised everyone when he said you could use practically anything to paint as long as it gives you the pleasure since art, particularly watercolour, is not about using the priciest paper nor paint nor brushes to craft your works. "It is about your skill and your understanding of the medium, both the colour, paper, brushes, etc," said the artist. "And as you gain understanding of all the materials, you will develop your skill in your craft. And when you do that, you will turn rubbish into gold." It was an enlightening advice but was met by laughters all round. Some of the sceptical ones even went to the extent to whisper that perhaps the old artist did not want to share his secrets - hence the excuse. The came the bombshell. The old artist diverted from the talk and took out his painting set - a compartmentalised dinner tray (his palette), some Japanese poster colours, a beat up brush and some newspapers.He poured some water into a small plastic container and proceeded to paint. Then he returned his brush into his bag, rolled a piece of newspaper, dipped one end into water and plucked it off to make an uneven end. Then he started dipping that wet end of a newspaper into paint and started painting. It was an impressionic painting of a swamp taken from a photograph. What started as a mess turned into a piece of art, a watercolour piece, to the amazement of the forum attendants. The painting was purchased by one of the attendants who apparently attracted to the piece. He paid USD 300 for it. Did he see something all of us missed? Everytime I find myself in a bind over what paper or paint to use, I fall back on the thought of the incident. Is it skill or material that contributes to art? You tell me.

Why watercolours?

I think of all, the most difficult to control is watercolours. It is a very unforgiving medium. Each stroke needs to be carefully thought of, each piece meticulously planned. One mistake means the end (usually) and the artist will have to start all over again. That means recapturing the inspiring moment, put it on paper and correctly this time. I do watercolour because it is a fast drying medium. I don't have the patience to wait for the work to dry and prefer to complete each piece as time permits me to. Even with this speed, painting outdoors can be quite a challenge because in our tropical weather, the light changes quite fast and capturing the moment's mood and colours can be extremely challenging. I have listed some of the interesting places on the web - sites of friends with whom I share my interest and who are artists in their own right. Check them out and join us. It is the only way to learn. And don't be fearful of making mistakes. In life, nothing comes easy. And when you make mistakes, chances are that it would have embarrassed you enough that you remember not to make it again. That is how I see my learning curve grow each day - in life or in art. And that is the same advice I tell my children each time they face disappointment in the face of failure. Hope the same can inspire you daily.

About This Blog

What is this? Welcome to my watercolour blog. This is my online journal to document my progress as a watercolourist. I did not undergo any formal education in watercolour so I think I can consider myself largely self-taught. And yes, I am an amateur, having a fulltime job elsewhere and doing watercolour as a serious escapade. It is more of a hobby and for the love of this medium. Why I paint? I took up watercolour painting three years ago after having abandoned it for over 25 years. Within this site are all my watercolour paintings since 2003. Where do I begin? I loved painting and drawing from as young as I can recall. And I have painted quite seriously since I was a teen but back then, art is not exactly something you can earn a living from. I suppose it is the same all over the world; life as an artists in the 70s is not exactly an enviable career choice. And when I came to the crossroad of my life back then, of having to decide on what career I would eventually want, I decided to keep art out of the way for practical reasons. One evening, on a bridge over a swift flowing river, I took my painting set (palette, colours and brushes) and set them on a journey down river. I said back then, I remember vividly, that should our paths cross again, then I would pick up my brush again. And in 2003, our paths did meet again. A chance meeting with master artist Tang Tuck Kan at the Petronas Art Gallery sparked my interest watercolour again, and a year long tutorship under this wonderful man in one of the many Petronas ClassArt programmes brought me back to watercolours again. As I painted, I have the good fortune of meeting personally wonderful watercolourists of Malaysia, such as the famous Chang Fee Ming, Chow Chin Chuan, Calvin Chua, Dr Wong Seng Tong, Maamor Jantan (whom I have also had the good fortune to receive a three-month instruction), Rafiee Abdul Rahman and many others. The fact that some of them are self-taught inspired me to continue, albeit my skills are at the disadvantage of the time past but still something that can be acquired with the quantum leap technology that the artistic medium has undertaken. Painting Technique/Equipment: I only use one brush to paint - a large Chinese wolf hair brush, a method imparted by my first mentor. I use a wide range of watercolours, with no fondness for any particular brand. I have also started using thicker acid-free paper because of the ease with which I can exploit the water medium. Painting Subjects: I usually paint boats and fishing villages in Malaysia. These are the subjects that are near and dear to me, for I have grown up with them and which I know pretty well. My other subject is water, which I feel is most difficult to depict, especially in watercolour. Recently, I have begun experimenting painting man-made structures such as buildings which I find to be quite a challenge because unlike boats, they come in many forms. Aspirations: I hope to be able to meet more Malaysian watercolourists, especially the amateur ones since we are in the same boat (no pun intended), to learn from each other and share our knowldge in this very fluid medium. (updated Oct 2006)