Batu Caves on Thaipusam Day in Watercolour

If you have been to Batu Caves (the largest limestone cave complex in the region) during Thaipusam, a Hindu religious festival, and have gone up to the Cave Temple after climbing the 272 steps, you will recognise this scenery. This is the second level stairway to the Cave Temple. I painted this out of a photo, and lots of darks were used (mixed from blues, reds, and greens). The smoky atmosphere is not so well captured, I'm afraid. But I will paint one more, this time even bigger than this 30cm by 45cm piece.

Painted June 23, 2006.

Palm Trees in Watercolour

This is a painting of three palm trees completed just moments ago. The paint has dried and I think I have it photographed and uploaded. As you can see, I am trying out the palm fronds and the skies, to see if the colours work out realistically at a distance. This is a miniature painting, about 4.5 inches width by 12 inches (or so) in height. It is a typical scene of a fisherman's house by a cove. The painter is on elevated ground, looking down at an angle.

Painted June 21, 2006

Night at Village

This is done in a very relaxed style. It is a scene at night, of a traditional village house made of timber. The yellow lighting is from a hurricane lamp as such houses are sometimes not linked by electricity supply. The roofing is made of attap (a kind of palm) and the entire house, of timber.

Herein lies the danger. Sometimes the kerosene lamp is run over by the house cat or if it falls from the hanger during strong winds, the house will be ablaze in minutes. And many lives have been lost thus.

Thankfully, nowadays such houses are powered by electricity.

This painting is a record of my experience living in such a house once.

Putrajaya Bridge in Watercolour

This piece was done from a photograph. What I merely created was capture the colours and tonal values. It is a painting of a bridge over the Putrajaya Lake. the arches are beautiful and so are the red and green flowering plants planted on both sides of the bridge which you can see overhanging from the sides. The man in the canoe is paddling into the archway.

Painted June 16, 2006

Lighthouse in Watercolour

This is a picture of Cape Hatteras lighthouse which was inspired by a photograph in a book. It was an one of the exercises I do daily after I get off from work so that I get the feel. In other words, to keep my fingers nimble and the brushes pliable. It was painted in half an hour.

Painted June 13, 2006

Portrait in Watercolour

One of the biggest problem in painting portraits in watercolour is getting the skin colour right. It took me quite a while to get this right and even so, I am not too happy with the skin tone. I did this is several layers, both for the highlights and shadows on the face as well as the hair.

Painted June 08, 2006

Chinatown by Night

This is my second attempt to paint night. This one however, is in the city. This is a familiar Chinatown scene, with yellow and red lanterns and buntings. I think everywhere around the world, the familiar scene evokes memories of a stroll down Chinatown, especially near the Lunar New Year celebration period. It was such a joy to see the colours come alive. The white-green patch you see at top right is a small alleyway which is lit by fluorescent lamp - colour of the light reflected off the lime plaster cement wall.

Painted June 05, 2006.

Venetian Waterway II

No, this is not the second painting I did. I saw this in one of JS Sargeant's works and decided to paint the scene.

The aim was to do it as relaxed and as carefree as possible and capture the colours to the best of my ability.

The rendition of this scenery is of a totally different style which I am used to.

Painted June 04, 2006