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?

Tiong Bahru

"Tiong Bahru"
12x12 Oil on Gessoboard
$475 Unframed
Click Here to Purchase

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... :)

Beaujolais

"Beaujolais"
12"x12" Oil on Gessoboard
$475 Unframed
Click Here to Purchase

I have spent several afternoons on the patio of this establishment enjoying a glass of wine in the company of friends for a hour that is most happy. ;) This is Beaujolais, the wine bar, on Club Street. It is a great place tucked just around the corner to Chinatown. I hope everyone is having a happy Monday!

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

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!

Behind Club Street

"Behind Club Street"
6"x6" Oil on Gessoboard
$120 Unframed
Click Here to Purchase

This little guy is on the street just behind Club Street, Gemmill Lane. I'm really starting to see colors in shadows, which is really exciting. Right now it is really only when looking at photos, but I've been going out to get photo references and sketching more right now than I have been, so hopefully I'll start seeing in person soon too. It feels like a paradigm shift. At the edge of a lot of shadows there is either an acidy yellow-brown color, or like a crazy pthalo blue. This seems to happen mostly with white (or light colored) buildings and super strong sunlight, when the shadow takes on almost a blue hue.

A great example of an artist that over-exaggerates those colors is Wayne Thiebaud.

Here's another great example of how he exaggerates the shadows. 

Jade Dreams

"Jade Dreams"
5"x7" Oil on Gessoboard
$95 Unframed
Click Here to Purchase

Here is another shophouse, this one is from the backside of Little India, close to the Lavendar MRT station. There are a couple streets of some really cool ornately decorate and painted shophouses back there. I've been experimenting a bit with the 5x7 format. It is totally different and a bit of a challenge. Stephen Masgsig, who does Postcards From Detroit, works quite a bit in the 5x7 format, so I've been looking to his work for some composition ideas.

Yesterday was National Day here in Singapore, so we had a few people over to grill and watch the fireworks. It is especially cool because all of the aircraft pretty much buzz right over our apartment. I think one of the coolest parts of the whole show is when the choppers come in with a giant Singapore flag. It passes almost literally over our heads. I've found a video someone uploaded that shows you the choppers and flag bits...

Aqua and Palms

"Aqua and Palms"
12"x12" Oil on Gessoboard
$475 Unframed
Click Here to Purchase

Since yesterday's blog post was quite the epistle, I figured I'd leave today's short and sweet. This is a view from lower Tanjong Pagar looking towards Chinatown. I just loved the turquoise shophouse and the palm trees lining the street next to it. Made me so happy to paint it!

Club Street Arches

"Club Street Arches"
6"x6" Oil on Gessoboard
$120 Unframed
Click Here to Purchase

This is a lovely little house right up on Club Street, close to Chinatown. I was finally able to get there during a time of day that had a lot of the houses in this beautiful light. Turns out that time of day is first thing in the morning!


Right now I am finding more growth and development in my art from trial and error and seeing what works than I could learn from somebody telling me how to do it at this point. Mostly this is because I am working on developing my style - that involves quite a bit of inner reflection and study of others that you simply have to do on your own. Your style has to do a lot with three things - your color palette, your brushstrokes, and your subject matter. 


My subject matter is slowly growing and evolving, but I'm really trying to define my style more through my colors and brush strokes. To do this, I'm especially enjoying studying other artist's paintings - how they crop them, how they frame a subject, the lighting. Then I look at the color and brushstrokes and figure out what I like, what I don't like. I have especially started looking at other artists for their color handling. For example, I have been struggling and struggling with yellows. How to have them go to shadow without having them look muddy. For the painting above, I took a look at Karin Jurick's painting, "Hot Seat." (Click Here to view/purchase)

Since I was having a rough time with the shadow side of yellow, this was a perfect painting to use for study. She has one small spot that is pretty much black, and another that is a very warm black/brown. But then for the rest of the medium shadows, it is much warmer than I initially tought. I was taught that shadows make colors cooler, which initially you are taught to mix compliments - so that would mean to add blue/violet. And yes, they do, but if you go too cool, too quickly, the color winds up looking muddy and dead. 

Karin's shadow is ALIVE. She doesn't define too much, and she doesn't make the shadow just one flat plane, but it the shadow stays nice and warm. It is basically a burnt sienna, and in some places a really lovely red orange. When you use these warmer darks, it still gives the impression of shadows, but the shadows become much richer. Shadows aren't always blue. In any case, since my shophouse was a yummy buttery yellow, I didn't have the shadows go too warm, as I didn't want the shadow to be warmer than the sun-drenched portion. This was a great exercise, and I learned quite a bit.

Light Urple

"Light Urple"
6"x6" Oil on Panel
$120 Unframed
Click Here to Purchase

Yes, yes, the title for this one comes from one of the great 90's SNL skits: Celebrity Jeopardy. If you haven't seen the skit before, here is a link, I hope it makes you smile today!

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/c2c5b0b7a3/snl-celebrity-jeopardy-4-15-00

If this shophouse looks vaguely familiar, well, I've done this one a couple of times. It has sort of been my baseline since it was the first shophouse I ever attempted to paint.

Yeah, so looking back on the last one is kind of a bit embarassing, not going to lie. I kind of miss that point when I thought everything was a wonder and that art supply stores held lots of mystery. Nevertheless, it really helps reinforce that as you get to a certain point in your work, "brush miles" are what really count.

Sunday Brunch - SOLD

"Sunday Brunch"
30"x40" Oil on Canvas
Private Collection
Click Here to see other available works

This was a commission for a private collector here in Singapore. One of his fondest memories of Singapore is the Sunday brunches. They are these very elaborate affairs with huge cheese bars, oysters from all over the world, not to mention the free-flowing champagne (or house drinks) and the impressive spread of desserts. Really, it is an incredibly decadent affair. Most of the major hotels here sponsor them, but none of them can match the ambience that you have at the Raffles Hotel in the Billiards room, which is the one this collector chose to show. I wound up having such a great time with this piece; the perspective was lots of fun to work with, although quite the challenge!

Telok Ayer Prism

"Telok Ayer Prism"
6x16 Oil on Gessoboard
$395 Unframed
Click Here to Purchase

Wow, I had gotten so good about posting and painting. But then we were thrown a wonderful and fantastic curveball. My husband has accepted a new job here in Singapore. This will be a fantastic move for him and us, it just means that I have to have the house packed and moved by next Friday! So, instead of getting another 2 weeks to paint before going to the US, I have about 1 painting day left. And who even knows if we will have our permanent housing situation figured out by the time I get back. It's going to be a wild ride for a bit. I'm definitely packing my tabletop easel and my paints for the temporary housing!

Boon Tat

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"Boon Tat"
6x6 Oil on Panel
Click Here to Purchase

This was a view at dusk on Boon Tat street looking down into the CBD. One of my regular wanderings around the city, on this particular one I dragged my husband along. Luckily, there is a 7Eleven every other block, so he was able to 7Eleven hop and not get too bored. Now what, you might ask, is 7Eleven hopping? Only the best kept secret in Singapore. 7Eleven hopping is kind of like bar hopping. Singapore doesn't have an open container law (they just haven't figured out to make one yet, I think), and there is a 7Eleven on just about every corner. Plus, when a beer can cost you $12, it is pretty much the cheapest in town. Cheers and happy Friday!

Emerald Hill

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"Emerald Hill Study"
8x10 Oil on Panel
Click Here to Purchase

This is still one of my favorite paintings. This little guy was a study that I did for the larger commission, and the lovely ladies here at the American Women's Association asked me if they could use it for the cover of their magazine this month. So exciting! I can now have a press tab on my website, ha!

It has been a bit of a rollercoaster of  week, I must say. I really can't believe it is Friday.We said goodbye to one of our closest friends this week. She is repatriating back to the US. Very bittersweet, but I know that we will see each other again, so I refused to say goodbye. You make friends so quickly when you get over here, and we made so many wonderful friends. But then what happens if you are the people that stay past your two year contract period after all your friends move back? I don't know, we're entering uncharted territory here.

In any case, Happy Friday! I hope your week was as good as mine!

Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 99

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"Singapore Shophouse No. 99"
6x6 Oil on Panel
Click Here to Purchase

Whew, busy busy week. I got to do some "research" on Tuesday at the Raffles Billiards room. I'm working on a commission for a client of the Billiards Room, which is where they have these fantastic (and super expensive) weekend brunches. Raffles Hotel is the one of the oldest hotels in Singapore, and is really where you can find the strongest traces of old British Colonial style. It has as much history as you can get in Singapore, and is home of the Singapore Sling. It has some fantastic food, which I very much enoyed while taking some photos for this painting.

Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 89"

"Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 89"
6x12 Oil on Panel
Click Here to Purchase

Whew, this has been a whirlwind week. I'm just flat out exhausted, to tell you the truth. Last week was another week for The Fair at Goodwood Park Hotel. It went well, made some great sales, met some new friends and collectors again. It just turns into long, long days. 

I'm a little dispirited because somehow in setting up all the Christmas decorations and getting ready for guests on Monday, my camera has gone missing. My best guess is that it somehow wound up in a bag of trash from decorations and was accidentally thrown out. Because I have literally torn this house apart looking for it. But every time I think it is lost, I remember the family legend about my grandmother "losing" a family ring that was so well hidden (in case of thieves) she didn't find it for years! Unfortunately, I don't have years to wait to find this camera. The worst part (besides having to buy a new camera) is that all of the pictures I've taken in the past month are lost along with the camera, including a commission I was working on and all the photos I took while I was in Vietnam for a week. Luckily, I've been backing up my memory card every month, but unluckily, it had been a month since I backed it up. Sigh.

Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 85

"Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 85"
6x6 Oil on Panel
Click Here to Purchase

I love it when I get a really good cabbie. When you get a good cabbie in Singapore, they are really excellent. They'll not only know exactly where your bank's ATM is, but they'll be able to wax poetically on the answers to life. Last night I had an especially awesome one. He was jovial, happy, and couldn't say enough about the Orchid Show at Marina Bay Sands. He got to see the new Gardens by the Bay, which has been partially opened for the event. He just loved it, said there were so many different beautiful plants in there. It really inspired me. Maybe I can get by before the show closes on Sunday!

The cabbie went on to talk about his life, and how he is also a sculptor. He had this incredible life story, and has studied under almost every famous artist here in Singapore. Unfortunately, economic reality means that he is a cabbie - not doing what he loves the most. But he had this incredible outlook on life. He said that by being an artist, and by developing an artist's eye, you grow to have a different outlook on life. You see the world in brighter colored glasses than the rest of the world, and that is how he is okay with driving a cab to support his family even though he would rather be in the studio. His advise really hit home - if I didn't have such a wonderful patron (my husband) supporting the beginning of my career, life would be very different. But maybe, even with the curveballs life can throw you, now that I see the world through an artist's eyes, it would still be brighter and more beautiful to me.

Singapore Heritage Shophouses No. 84

"Singapore Heritage Shophouse No. 84"
6x6 Oil on Panel
Click Here to Purchase

Whew, this past week just left me absolutely worn out! I discovered another area of really beautiful shophouses this morning when I was delivering a painting. It is in Joo Chiat, which I knew was a fantastic place for shophouses. This was just two blocks away from the area I had been exploring earlier, but I think I had given up and gone home after exploring for several hours. It is amazing what you can find when you have a car at you disposal!

I think that is one of the biggest things that I miss living here iAsia. Not having my own car. Having a car gives you so much more independence. We live on the MRT line, which is really fantastic. But it is not quite the same as having a car at your disposal- and a Jerry\'s Artarama around the corner!

Emerald Hill #3

"Emerald Hill #3"
24x36 Oil on Canvas
SOLD
Click Here to see other available Art

They've turned this little road full of shophouses into some fantastic bars and restaurants. It's very strange because they're literally right next to these 50 story high-rises. But go a block into this little area, and you can barely hear the noise from Orchard and it feels like a totally secluded area. It's also one of the most expensive - rent for a shophouse starts at $15,000/mo!

This week has been crazy busy, exhausting and fantastic all at one time. We got back from Vietnam late, late, late on Monday night. Then I rolled right into doing The Fair for two days and the AAS Charity Art Auction. (My piece sold for above retail value, yay!)

I've talked to several artists here in Singapore, and they are really re-affirming my sense that self-promoting my art is the way to go. I would love to have a gallery here that really helped nurture and build my career; in the meantime, I would also love to have a unicorn. I am meeting so many wonderful people that are nurturing me that much more! I learned a ton this week, and I am looking forward to getting back into the studio tomorrow. Lots to paint!