LADYBIRD

Ladybird in rose red.

MID AUTUMN

Happy Mid Autumn Festival! Here are some rose bunnies. Love you all to the moon and back!

LAST FOUR

Last Four 2014. Petals, leaves and soil on paper.

Life is a sport. Make friends. Make it count. 

Down to the last four for World Cup 2014!

SISTERS

Sisters, Calla lilies and watercolor on paper, 2014

This. Yes this. This is the image that has been in my head for so long but have nowhere to head to. When a single flower can't suffice my love for this timeless beauty, a bouquet will make up for that. 

I could even visualize my bridesmaids wearing this for my future wedding!

SAPPHIRE

Sapphire. Blue dyed rose and watercolor on paper. 2014

Blue has never been in my favorite list, but this has definitely won my heart itself. Saturated blue dyed roses with hints of white acrylic paint. Inspired by Karolina Kurkova wearing a Marchesa gown during the Met Gala 2014. 

MALEFICA

Maleficent, black dyed rose and watercolor on paper, 2014

For the flower series, I tend to avoid portraying certain specific characters as I wish every viewer could relate the art in his/her own way of imagination. Most of them are drawn directly from my mind. But for this, Angelina Jolie looks perfect for the role and the trailer itself already got me excited. And I am listening to Lana del Rey's daunting but enchanted version of Once Upon a Dream while painting this last night. 

For the very first time, I am making full use of an entire rose. The horns are made of sepals and the wand is a rose stem. The cloak is made of petals. It looks a little puffy on her (one told me she's too short here!) on the first trial (top pic) so I did another one (bottom pic). She did look leaner but something's lacking in the queen's gesture so I'll just stick to the first one. This is purely for fun but I enjoy doing something different (and gothic!) once in a while. 

In this artwork, I try to fuse the watercolor and dyed rose so everything looks 'blended' together without any obvious edges of the paint and petals. I remembered clearly that when I was studying in junior college, my art teacher told me to never use black paint for our paintings. Black is a very powerful and dominating color and it will flatten the space that you're painting. So if we were to paint a dark area, always mix up all the colors (ultramarine blue, dark green, umber, crimson red, purple etc) to achieve a complicated color that looks almost black but there's still variations and depth in it. This proves to be really useful throughout my art journey so far. 

But most of all, I learn how to dye black roses! Try it yourself and you will get a gothic garden soon!

HYDRANGEA

Waiting. White hydrangea and watercolor on paper

Besides calla lily, hydrangea is the another flower that I have been searching for the longest time. They have been in my mind all the time and I am that stubborn. You don't find them in most florist shops in tropical countries. But when I finally found them few days ago, I was so happy I smiled so hard while freezing in the cold room. Yes, it is THAT beautiful and mesmerizing. 

Unfortunately, hydrangeas are one of the most fragile flowers I have ever seen. If it is treated under improper care, the bundle will wilt in a day or two. This piece shows an anticipating bride waiting for her big day. She is supposed to be sitting, though I am not too sure if I capture the angle well enough. But I hope this will be an inspiration to a lot of brides-to-be! 

CALLA LILY

Backview, Calla lily and watercolor on paper, 2014.

I have been wanting and dying to get some calla lilies but they are the hardest to find here! I finally found them in a florist shop few days ago, but the choices were limited and they weren't at the freshest state. Calla lily is my favorite flower, too beautiful and understated. I wish I could carry them for my future wedding. 

I intended to do a few more paintings with the flowers but alas, time beats everything before I get to paint the next and the flower couldn't beat the tropical weather here! Next step? I think I will either move to Holland, or plant some here in a cold room! 

EASTER CHICKS

Easter Chicks, Yellow roses and watercolor on paper

I believe it is harder to make things simpler. It is really easy to complicate things. When I was in college, the lecturer always emphasize how important it is to always find a balance between harsh strokes and smooth blends in a painting. 'Less is more', now this is hard to achieve and it takes years for me not to over stack my brushstrokes.

The white space is such an important element to my latest works. It leaves a viewer its own space imagination to think further of the subject matter. Something can be there. And there might be nothing there. I have to credit this strong influence to Chinese ink paintings as well. I learnt a year or two of Chinese ink paintings and I never look at paintings and other things the same way. Western and Eastern art have really different philosophies and there's nothing as a 1 point perspective in a chinese ink painting. And believe me, my Shifu taught me nothing else but chicks, frogs and bamboo that entire year. That's how hard it is and I am still far from mastering these few even until today.

Not only in space, but I tried to retain nature's form at its most original and challenge myself to use lesser materials in an artwork. For these two chicks, I am using only two yellow roses, and a few strokes of watercolor. From now on, you will see the rose as a perky butt!

And that's more than enough. Happy Easter!