Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 45

"Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 45"
6x6 Oil on Panel
Available at Chan Hampe Gallery

Another wonderful scene from Chinatown.  The light hitting the green and cream colored house was a really interesting combination with a warm/cool pattern of light.  Plus, it was fun to see the lanterns stretching across the house.  That is always a fun little touch.

Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 44

"Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 44"
6x6 Oil on Panel
Available at Chan Hampe Gallery

This is a shophouse from the outskirts of Little India.  Just on the outskirts, kind of in little hidden areas, you can find some really neat houses on the side streets.  There are a couple that are just incredible examples of the Rococo style of shophouse.  They are incredibly ornate and have tons of molding on them, columns, paint, etc.  They are dressed to the nines and ready for a night out on the town.

Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 43

"Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 43"
6x6 Oil on Panel
Available at Chan Hampe Gallery

Phew!  Thank you so much to everyone that came to the show last night.  I really appreciated all the kind words and support.  We had a lot of fun - several glasses of wine, good conversations, great friends.  All in all, a spectacular night.  Now if the laundry I have fallen behind in doing would just fold itself....  And as soon as I can grab the memory card from Tony's camera (one of the other artists at the studio who was awesome about taking pictures for me) I will post some pictures!  Thank you again, for everything.

Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 41

"Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 41"
6x8 Oil on Panel
Available at Chan Hampe Gallery

'Twas the night before opening, and all through the gallery, not a creature was stirring, not even a... Um yeah.  So, forgive me for not being a poet.  All of my paintings are hung, over 70 of them!  It has taken so much work to get this finished and ready for a show.  I painted about 79 shophouses, framed 72 of them, have scanned, emailed, hung, etc, etc, etc... Keep your fingers crossed for a good turnout tomorrow night!

Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 40

"Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 40"
6x6 Oil on Panel
Available at Chan Hampe Gallery

Happy Easter!  I am definitely feeling homesick this morning.  Easter is still a big holiday in my family.  We usually gather at my grandmother's house, and as all of us cousins have grown up, the tradition has evolved.  Even though there is one in the new generation, my grandmother still has all of her grandchildren (the great grand is only 1.5 now) hunt for eggs.  Now that some of us are 30, it has turned into more of a full-contact flag football game than egg hunting.  In any case, my brother said that he hip-checked one of my particularly competitive cousins to get to the winning egg, and dedicated it to me.  Awwww.  I hope everyone had a wonderful day with family and friends.

Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 39

"Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 39"
6x6 Oil on Panel
Available at Chan Hampe Gallery

I just loved this blue house.  Couldn't resist it.  It is this bright, sky blue with crisp white trim.  Plus, there were all kinds of fun shadows happening with the shutters.

Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 38

"Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 38"
6x6 Oil on Panel
Available through Chan Hampe Gallery

I really enjoyed the afternoon light hitting the sign and the pattern of light and shadow that it created.  The light was so warm, and the shadows were just so cool.  I was especially struck by how although the yellow edge on the windows was in the shade, it kind of seemed to glow with reflected light.  I really tried to capture that in this one.

Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 37

"Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 37"
6x6 Oil on Panel
Available through Chan Hampe Gallery

This is a totally fascinating house in Chinatown.  It is a super modern bright red and white house smooshed in between all the super traditional shophouses in Chinatown.  Its lines are just so clean and neat.  It kind of reminded me of something nautical.

Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 36 - SOLD

"Singapore Heritage Shophouse Series No. 36"
6x6 Oil on Panel
Available through Chan Hampe Gallery

I'm really starting to enjoy these night scenes.  A fair portion of the shophouses are white or cream colored. So often during the day, the sun is strong (or its super hazy), the houses are white, and there is very little shadow.  In other words, it's a pretty uninteresting scene, except for the fact that the shophouses have really interesting architecture.  But then, once the signs light up at night, new colors and shapes show up, and an otherwise drab scene becomes quite beautiful.

This weekend two of the other artists in the studio made me try Stinky Tofu.  I'm a pretty adventurous eater, but usually for my general meals, I do tend to eat western food.  It's easier to pack a sandwich than to try and make something local.  And eating from the hawker's isn't the healthiest option (a lot of it is fried rice and noodle varieties - not good for a girlish figure).  So they seem to think I don't eat enough local fare, even though I do eat a fair share.  In any case, they made me try stinky tofu.  It smelled like a combination of dirty socks and body odor, but the first bite I tried wasn't so bad.  Kind of just tasted like tofu.  So then I made my mistake.  I tried the second bite.  As I was eating that second bite, it was much more pungent and somehow the taste very much tasted like the first bite smelled.  It tasted like I was eating dirty socks.  And then after I finished, the taste/smell seemed to get stuck in my mouth and nose. I couldn't get rid of it.  Ungh.  Not my thing, I can tell you that.  But the tea boiled eggs weren't too bad, and there was another dessert kind of thing that tasted a bit like apple crumble.  So if anyone offers you stinky tofu, it is, in fact, stinky.

Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 35 - SOLD

"Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 35"
6x6 Oil on Panel
Available at Chan Hamp Gallery

After the debacle yesterday, I talked to my husband.  He reminded me that I had been in the studio for 10 days straight and hadn't taken a day off.  I'd been feeling creatively drained and like I couldn't paint myself out of a box for the last couple days, so I did what he suggested.  And it was glorious.  I do kind of wish today would be my last day of painting for this show, but now I'm much more refreshed and focused.  I think if I had gone into the studio yesterday, I would have been fighting a nasty uphill battle.

Sometimes you just need a day off.  Happy Friday!

Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 34

"Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 34"
6x6 Oil on Canvas
Available at Chan Hampe Gallery

This is a cozy little hostel in Little India.  I don't really think of Singapore as having hostels, but there are a few available and they are quite nice from what I hear.

I am completely chagrinned.  The contact form for my website was somehow winding up in my spam folder of my email (fixed that issue).  A very lovely lady over here had contacted me about purchasing three paintings.  Unfortunately, because the email wound up in my spam folder, I didn't see it for two weeks.  I go to call her back.  Cell phone is dead.  Great.  Put phone in charger, write an email apologizing profusely for gmail and my website not playing well together.  Hit send.  Since this is clearly an important email, I want to move it from the spam folder into my inbox.  Well, right next to "move to inbox" is the "DELETE FOREVER" button.  Guess which one I accidentally clicked?  And since it is the spam folder, there aren't any little pop-up boxes asking if you are sure you want to delete it.  Thank goodness I had at least written down her email address, so I was able to write another email explaining again what an idiot I felt like and that I had lost her phone number with the email.  Hopefully she will forgive such silliness and get back to me.  I am just mortified about it, but I thought you all might appreciate a laugh on your Thursday afternoon/evening (or Friday am if you are here in the Sling).

I think this is a sign that I need a day off.

Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 33

"Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 33"
6x6 Oil on Panel
Click Here to Purchase

Here was a nice calm shophouse in Little India.  I really liked the muted palette and the gentle light as it filtered down onto the house.  Muted, neutral palettes are kind of difficult for me, but I really liked this one.  It definitely has a gentle, calm feeling to it.

68 down 10 more to go for the show!

Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 32

"Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 32"
6x6 Oil on Panel
Click Here to Purchase

This was my first night scene.  I loved the neon sign and the colors that it reflected onto the shophouse.  So vivid.  How is everyone's spring going?  It is HOT.  Not just a bit hot, but super hot.  I think last year the hot season wound up being rainy, so it wasn't as hot as it was supposed to be.  Now I'm finding out what that is really like.

I started to get my frames in for the show, and I just LOVE the way things look in them.  I'm starting to get super nervous/excited.  Here's a quick preview:

Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 31

"Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 31"
6x6 Oil on Panel
Click Here to Purchase

Phew, back in the studio again.  Only 15 more to paint for my show!  My frames are starting to come in, and I am really super excited about the way that a lot of these look framed.  Just absolutely spectacular.  Knowing your work looks even better once it has a frame is just a nice little pat on the back, to say the least.

This shophouse is in Little India.  Our apartment is actually pretty unique in Singapore.  It has a washer, a dryer AND an oven.  Clearly geared towards us spoiled expats.  Most locals just have a washer and hang dry their clothes.  If you drive by the HDBs you can see laundry out on the line outside of windows.  Kind of neat, really.

Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 29 - SOLD

"Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 29"
6in x 6in Oil on Panel
Click Here to Purchase

Here was a shophouse above a lantern shop in Chinatown.  Loved all the reds and the differences they had in the light and shadow.

Taking the hubby in for LASIK today.  Counting down the days until I have to have everything completed for my show.  Trying to catch up on schoolwork.  Too much to do!

Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 28

"Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 28"
6in x 6in Oil on Panel
Click Here to Purchase

Whoops.  I accidentally posted a couple of these in the wrong order.  Look at me go!  The hubby and I just got back last night, so now comes the post-vacation hangover.  Unpacking, settling back into reality, schoolwork... and my first show, ever.  I am super excited, but being checked out for two weeks was just soooo nice.  Only 25 more pieces to paint in the next week!  

I'm sorry I didn't post sooner, but we had much less internet access than anticipated.  We had a blast, and it really was the trip of a lifetime.  Part of me wishes that I got more painting in, but a very nasty case of beautiful spring weather fever (you mean I can sit in the sun without sweating like a stuck pig?!?! Yes please!) coupled with many lunches that had an accompanying glass of wine... well, yeah.  You know what they say - don't drink and draw!