The Mentor - SOLD

"The Mentor"
6x6 Oil on Panel
SOLD
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This is one of a three part series I'm winding up for a commission. It seemed to me like this little boy was sitting and contemplating the wisdom of times before, and the great face in the stone very much looks like a wise mentor to me. What do you think?

As much as everyone decries the evils of Facebook, I had a acquaintance from high school that happened to have an 18 hour layover here in Singapore. We were able to meet up, and I got to show her around Singapore, which was so much fun. Her husband then commissioned me to paint a series of three small paintings from their trip to Cambodia and Thailand for her Christmas present (shhh, don't mention it on FB! It is a secret!). I loved doing this because I had been to these places and could also connect with the locations - plus the husband is an excellent photographer, and has a great eye - which made my job much easier!

Holiday Cheer study - SOLD

"Holiday Cheer Study"
SOLD
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I have been remiss in posting, but part of that is because I sold so many paintings in the last week, I have had to hole myself up in the studio. That, and I've been working on some larger pieces so they're not ready to post yet. Overall, not a bad problem to say the least. This is one of the guys that sold before I could even post it! It was a study that I did for the larger painting I used for my Christmas cards. It is a beautifully decorated home on Balestier road. I just love the moulding, as it really looks decorated for the holidays - year round!

Arab Street

"Arab Street"
12"x12" Oil on Panel
$475 Unframed
Email Me to Purchase

This scene is from a corner of Singapore known as Kampong Glam, and is one of the older sections of the city. It is just down the street from the mosque Sultan. You can find all kinds of neat things in this area - there are some wonderful silk vendors, and some super neat little markets to poke around in. You'll also find some amazing Turkish and Middle Eastern food... mmm hummus is yummus!

Also - don't forget to come see my new work at Fancy Faire at the Orchard Hotel! I'll be there tomorrow and Wednesday!

Emerald Sunset

"Emerald Sunset"
12"x36"
$1,500 (SGD $1,850)
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This is honestly one of my favorite pieces that I have completed. I love Emerald Hill. It has been gentrified yes, but it just looks so beautiful when the shophouses are lit up at night. It is currently hanging up in my dining room, and I'll only release it to a very good home, I've been enjoying it too much! Having a rotating collection of artwork is kind of one of the perks of being an artist.

I'm sorry about not posting more sooner - I've been working on some bigger projects, and they've really been a total time suck. Also, this week whenever I sit down at the easel, I keep on striking out and just wiping off the painting. They can't all be winners, can they?

Emerald Sunset Study II

"Emerald Sunset Study II"
6"x6" Oil on Gessoboard
$120 Unframed
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This is another study of my larger piece, Emerald Sunset. I love that little strip of shophouses up on Emerald Hill. They are so beautiful at night.

Peranakan Pottery

"Peranakan Pottery"
6x6 Oil on Gessoboard
$120 Unframed
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This little shophouse is from one of my favorite areas of Singapore - Joo Chiat. It has some wonderful traditional Peranakan houses with old ceramic tiles on many of them. It also has the best American BBQ in Singapore. Mmmm Baby Back Ribs.

Tiong Bahru

"Tiong Bahru"
12x12 Oil on Gessoboard
$475 Unframed
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This painting is of a great local area of Singapore known as Tiong Bahru. This area features really cool post-war architecture and some funky coffee shops, not to mention a great place to buy steaks at a reasonable price! I'm hoping that after the fall season slows down (mid-November) to get out on location and explore some more of Singapore. Tiong Bahru is just around the corner from my house, but exploring it even more would mean I had to get out of my studio and see it! It is those small details... :)

Electric Shadows

"Electric Shadows"
5"x7" Oil on Gessoboard
$95 Unframed
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This was another Theibaud inspired shophouse. The shadows were just vibrating with color, and I loved painting it. Sometimes you can find so many colors in white, it is amazing. Don't forget to come out to The Fair @ the Hilton Hotel Singapore on Thursday and Friday this week. I'll be there in a smaller booth and would love to see you!

Santa Barbara Sail Boats

"Santa Barbara Sail Boats"
5"x7" Oil on Gessoboard
$75 Unframed
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This was a scene from the Santa Barbara harbor on the first day that I arrived. Such a fun scene to paint. I'm back in Singapore after having to go back to the US for the weekend, so as soon as this laundry gets finished I'm back in the studio. Next week is The Fair @ the Hilton Hotel, so if you are in Singapore, come by and see my booth! I'd love to see you there.

Venice Beach Alleyway

"Venice Beach Alleyway"
5"x7" Oil on Gessoboard
$75
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It is the burning season here in Singapore. That basically means that somewhere in Indonesia or Malaysia the farmers are slash and burning the palm plantations (usually) for the Palm Oil harvest. It creates this horrific smog that just turns the sky to a weird smoky gray, and generates more thunderstorms than normal. I have a really tough time with it because so little light gets in. This month of smoggy gray had taught me I probably wouldn't do so well in China, where it is like this year round. In any case, because of the awful smog, I needed to paint a blue sky. This is just down the street from my cousin's house, which is right by Venice Beach and the Santa Monica Pier. I had just had a week of cloudy gray in SoCal, and this last morning in the LA area broke with beautiful blue sky and no clouds. It was so uplifting.

And as for my husband and I, we'll be traveling back to the US first thing tomorrow morning. I wish the circumstances were better, but we are so grateful for the family and friends that we have. We have been blessed with close, happy relationships with all of our family, and I for one am eternally grateful that both of us have enjoyed relationships with our grandparents well into our adulthood. Not many people can say they have had that opportunity. 

It is times like these that make being on the other side of the world much harder. Luckily, we can get back, and see everyone. And, in the meantime, in addition to seeing all of our loved ones, it looks like it will be sunny in Kansas, so we'll be able to also enjoy some Mexican food and BBQ!

And as a side note - all you Gulf Coast people, make sure you are tied down and have extra ice for the drinks in case power goes out!

Duxton Hill Club - SOLD

"Duxton Hill Club"
9x12
Oil on Gessoboard
SOLD - Click Here to see other available work

I delivered this painting over the weekend to one of my best collectors. Being able to connect and catch up with one of my collectors was such a wonderful way to start off the week. I just love having people come visit me at the studio, it definitely breaks up the monotony of being in a room by yourself and painting! This collector has a favorite haunt here in Singapore, and he wanted to remember it for when he repatriates back to the US. Such a fantastic idea, in my opinion.

Also, while he was there, he decided to take a couple other painting with him. I couldn't be happier the home that these will have!

"Club Street Chic"
6x16
Oil on Gessoboard
SOLD

"Morning View"
5x7
Oil on Gessoboard
SOLD

Surveillance

"Surveillance"
6"x6" Oil on Panel
$95 Unframed
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You better watch your potato chips, he's conducting some surveillance. Don't be fooled by this relaxed, one-legged pose, he's watching your picnic basket!

Santa Monica Tower

"Santa Monica Tower"
6x6 Oil on Gessoboard
$95
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This was from my last morning in Southern California. I had just endured an awful week of the June Gloom (it was April). Not exactly inspiring, and pretty impossible to paint when you can't see across the street. But I woke up the last morning at my cousin's house, and the sky was a beautiful California blue. So I walked down to the beach and just enjoyed the solitude. There is something about the ocean that just renews my soul.

SOLD - Joo Chiat Icing

"Joo Chiat Icing"
SOLD
Click Here to view available Paintings

This wonderful guy from the Joo Chiat area sold to a collector who came over for a studio visit on Friday. It was a fantastic way to start the weekend! This will eventually be traveling to Houston as a gift for her mother. I'm still hunkered down in the studio this week, painting away. I have a super busy fall coming up, so I'm just trying to get as much painted now as I can! Happy Hari Raya, if you are in the Sling!

Truckin'

"Truckin'"
12"x6" Oil on Gessoboard
$195 Unframed
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I just loved driving down the 101. For most of the trip I pretty much had my camera just perched atop the steering wheel as I drove. At least until the windshield gathered too many bugs... This tanker had such beautiful colors and reflections in it, I couldn't resist painting it. The perspective was a lot of fun too.

Our container arrives today! I am so excited to finally have our things out of storage. The downside is that this week has been crazy, so I haven't had much studio time. The upside is that along with the container comes about a years worth of art supplies (and two years worth of Cascade!). 

Morning View

"Morning View"
5"x7" Oil on Panel
$95 Unframed
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This painting took so much longer than I thought it would. But this is the first time I have really tackled people in any way, shape, or form in months. It was kind of an adventure. I found this scene on a Saturday morning down by the Ferry Market in San Francisco. The market has some wonderful food - lots of fresh fruit, jams, popcorn, cheese, you name it! So tasty. But behind the tents and stalls, there are some fantastic people watching opportunities. Plus, when you add in the the view of the Bay Bridge - just amazing!

Chinatown MRT

"Chinatown MRT"
6x6 Oil on Gessobord
$120 Unframed
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Back to the shophouses! This one is right by the entrance to the Chinatown MRT. If you come up from the MRT, and look up to your right, this house is right there. As for painting the shophouses, it feels good to be back. I really enjoy coming back to them and trying new ideas on them. On this one I really wanted to try and work on painting the details in the architecture. I've done it a little bit, but not in quite as much detail as this one. Man, it was fun.

Motel California

"Motel, CA"
6"x6" Oil on Gessoboard
$95 Unframed
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This is another one from the California series. The Eagles song "Hotel California" was stuck in my head, so pardon the punny title. :) I basically pulled into San Luis Obispo for about an hour and took a bunch of photos. I'm still sad that I was only there for an hour, and that it was in the middle of the day, when the lighting wasn't so great. It is such a neat little town. Definitely on my list of places to go back to in California.

At the end of last week I took a look at the calendar and had a small breakdown. I realized that the fall show season is only a couple of months away, and that I had very little new work showcasing Singapore. Whoops! So, the California series has been put on the back burner while I come back to Singapore. This fall I am doing some larger pieces, and I'm really enjoying doing them. Shophouses have kind of become my happy place. I'm always growing, learning and exploring, but I love coming back to the houses after a break. I usually come back stronger, with fresh, new ideas. Here's a progress photo of one currently on the easel (it will eventually be 12"x24"... that's BIG for me!).

Roadhouse

"Roadhouse"
6x6 Oil on Gessobord
$95 unframed
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This is a wonderful little signal house that I saw as I was driving south on the 101 from Palo Alto to Newport Beach. That highway has some beautiful scenery on either side of it. I am only sad that I didn't have the time to really explore more of the nooks and crannies - I had to boogie down to Newport Beach for my workshop. 

Sorry about not posting much the past couple of weeks. I've been working on this California series, and after letting it sit for a week or so, I went back to the paintings. Only a couple of them were really up to par, and should have been wiped off. I think I was just locked in such a battle with them that I didn't want to let go. But that is one of the things I've started to learn about painting - when to not release things. The journey is about painting every day - but there are going to be some lemons in there, and that is okay. The lemons are an important part of learning, it means you are pushing yourself.

Southbound

"Southbound"
6"x6" Oil on Gessoboard
$95 unframed
Click Here to Purchase

It's that time of year, the great American summer roadtrip. I figured that with this week being the 4th of July and everyone embarking on their family vacations that it would be a good time to start posting my CA roadtrip series. This little number is on 278 in South Carolina, on the way from HHI to the Savannah airport. I seem to paint that highway quite a bit, but then there are some pretty sights to be seen there!