d’artiste: Digital Painting

[Originally posted at RawNotes.blogspot.com, 15 Dec 05]

If you are into computer art, computer drawing or computer graphics, then you’d love ‘Digital Painting’ featuring the works of Linda Bergkvist, John Wallin, Philip Straub and Robert Chang.

Ballistic Pub., Australia: c2004
Call No.: q750.285
ISBN: 09 750 9655 9
Click here to check for item availability.

Each of the featured artist talks about their style and techniques, where they draw their inspiration and ideas. There’s also a step-by-step tutorial where you get to see how the digital canvas is transformed into a picture.

Amazing stuff. I thought the paintings were acrylics or oils but was stunned to learn that it’s all digital.

What’s Reality Anyway?

TinkerTailor explores the concept of Solipsism and Free-Will* with his Feline creation (see Wikipedia entry on Solipsism). Roxanne counters with a animated discourse on the existence of TinkerTailor.

Me?

I’ll just enjoy watching the show

 

* At the time of this post, Tinkertailor’s presentation don’t seem to work for IE and RSS feed. I can only guess at what he’s trying to explain via Roxanne’s.

Reunion Dinner 2006

References: ‘Reunion Dinner’, ‘Lunar New Year’

I want to be an Artist

I want to be an Artist.

That’s what I replied without hesitation when, in primary school, a teacher asked my class, “What’s your ambition in life?”

Did I know what an artist’s life was about? Certainly not. I was maybe eight at that time. All I knew was I enjoyed doodling and drawing; copying pictures and creating new ones. I’ve always liked drawings and pictures.

At three years of age, before I learnt how to read, I was making up my version of the Three Little Pigs from the pictures in the storybook. As I grew older, I continued to enjoy drawing but I would not have replied that I wanted to be an artist, i.e. take up art as a career. It was reinforced in me, over time, that there’s “no future” in pursuing an arts career compared to other more ’stable professions’. And so I went on to receive a Polytechnic diploma, a University degree, and a Masters degree. Ah, if there only was a crystal ball that told them of the Internet and Globalisation and Knowledge Economies and Creative Industries.

There are, however, no crystal balls; no one can tell predict what the future holds.

But lest you think that I have regrets with the path I’ve taken, I assure you there is none. I believe we simply take the path that presents itself at that point in time.

So now, I’ve embarked on this path of starting this blog for my art and other right-brain pursuits. It’s to bring back the simple life, like the days remembered by the three-year old me.

And the child is saying: I want to be an Artist.

Clever writing

Wish I could say I wrote this, but I didn’t. I’m posting this as an example of very clever writing:

It‘s a holiday and my mother wants me to paint the bathroom (the pipes actually) and why not accompany her to Giant (the egg rolls are cheaper there) for shopping this weekend as well?

It‘s a holiday, one of the rare breaks inbetween work and OT, OT, OT. There is still the Chinese New Year holiday two weeks away. But that would probably be taken up by house cleaning. I wanted to finish up my drawings and videos as soon as possible. My portfolio needs all the bulking up it needs before the Feburary deadline.

In my mind was the almost casual mention in the email about a blogger and a book. I thought about how my hands shook in the aircon as my brother drove the family car for the first time in his life, trying to find the hospital. I thought about the voice in the turning leaves that late evening. But most of all, I thought about an email, a long time ago, that arrived in my mailbox at midnight with a jpeg attachment of a cherubic baby girl smiling at the camera.

No sorry it‘s not about modelling or anything related to the mailing list, he shouldn‘t really be posting this in the group, he knows this isn‘t the place for it, but he was desperate and he didn‘t know what to do, his niece is in hospital and in a critical condition, he remembered not too long ago, when she was just learning how to walk, she waited outside his room wanting to be carried, and he was working on the computer and didn‘t want to be disturbed and he closed the door, he really regretted doing that, the doctor said she has zero brain activity, they are deciding whether to pull the plug tomorrow, so please, please, can everybody just please just pray for her?

I painted the bathroom.

Source: Men of Clay: “Split Second” (Jan 10, 2006)

I am no writer or critic but I’ve read enough to recognise clever writing.

It doesn’t preach and it doesn’t ramble. The writing is direct yet the point is subtle. Yet for all its subtlety, the message is clear: That there are more important things in life than work and the pursuit of material things.

Poem: Self-Appreciation

Self-Appreciation
—————————

Reds, Whites
Sweet, Spicy
Clean, Dry, Velvety smooth

Bouquet, Palate
Balance

What does it all mean?

They are just terms to obfuscate
The taste of
Sour coloured water;

I understand wines
As much as I understand myself

Ivan Chew, 10 Jan 06

First posted in Seeds-O-Light Amateur Poetry Group. This poem was written in about 10 minutes, after I read a contribution by a group member who wrote a poem relating to wine. I was trying to use the concept of “Wine Appreciation” as a reference to how we might appreciate our life, or perhaps fail to.

The poem could be interpreted in many ways. One is about how we’re so good at coming up with elaborate terminologies on wine drinking while we don’t have a good way to show others (and ourselves) how to appreciate life.A group member had this to say when she read my piece:

“… wines like many “spirits” are very mysterious. As mysterious as ourselves can be at times. All we understand is what we see at the surface but what’s behind it can be elusive“,

and adds that the poem reminded her:

“not to be so obsessed about analysing life, instead, savor it and enjoy the process!“

She definitely puts it more eloquently than I can.

Red Expedition (1996)

“Red Expedition” (Apr 1996). Acrylic & ink on plain paper.
Can’t remember exactly what I read to have inspired this but it had to do with Mars. I imagined them as hunter-explorers, humans in armoured suits, on a newly terraformed Mars. Either that or they were Space Marines in newly colonised Mars.

Legends of Nimrath: Eria Bladers (1994)

“Legends of Nimrath: Eria Bladers” (Dec 1994). Watercolours, colour pencils & ink on plain paper. 

If you’re a fan of the band “Extreme” and find the next painting strangely familiar, you’re right! The original picture is from the inside sleeve of one of their albums (”Pornografitti”, I think). See, I liked the lighting effects of the picture and how Gary Cherone and Nuno Bettencourt were posing. Then I imagined them carrying swords — and so it became “Legends of Nimrath: Eria Bladers”.

Tor’noh’kqlish: Warrior King of the Tarvarn Nation (1992)

Tor’noh’kqlish: Warrior King of the Tarvarn Nation (May 1992). Poster paint on plain paper, watercolours & ink.I was toying with the idea of a cross between the American Indian and Roman warrior cultures. Of course I can’t deny there was more of the ‘Conan the Barbarian’ influence.

Warrior’s Prayer - The Metal Kings (1989)

“Warrior’s Prayer - The Metal Kings” (Dec 1989). Watercolours & ink on plain paper.I was listening to a track titled “The Warrior’s Prayer” from the heavy metal band, ‘Manowar’ (Kings of Metal). The track starts off with a boy saying, “Grandfather, tell me a story!” and the grandfather did, with sound effects of the horses and men and swords and thunder… (storytelling for adults!)