Monsoon Gust - By Abdullah Ariff - To Be auctioned

I have been informed that an original watercolour by Abdullah Ariff titled "Monsoon Gust" will be sold at auction on Tuesday (May 27th) by the Rowley's auctioneers in Newmarket, Suffolk, England.

According to Silas Currie (Auctioneer and Head Of Valuations
Rowley's - Fine Art Auctioneers and Valuers), the work was signed and dated 1955 and measures 37 by 54cm. I was also informed that the reserved price would be around 3,000 British Pounds.

If there are any Malaysians out there - as the National Art Gallery has not made any enquiry about it since I listed information and whereabouts of this national treasure on this site and even after having written to one of the officials of they were interested - here is your chance to bring the work home.

Thank you.

Derwent's Wash Pencils

I found these at the local art store - Derwent watercolour pencils for washes. I had earlier last year found its watersoluble graphite pencils but found them to be too dark and smudgy.

These however are more forgiving and produce pretty good and even washes. I only found Medium and Light grades, but I suspect there are other grades. Too bad the art store did not have a catalogue - old stock I think.

As you can see, I did a sketch on an old tyre on the deck of a wooden boat, alternating between light and medium grades in areas of contrast. For deeper values, I go over the first lines of medium grades to produce really dark areas (value 8?).

Oh, they cost about RM2.50 Malaysian each.

Tsunami Painting Revisited

I drew this scene sometime back. Wasn't quite satisfied with it. It was a picture of Sri Lanka after the tsunami. The fishing boat is left high on a sandy hillock some distance from the sea. At its left is a mess of a smashed-up fishing boat. In this piece, I introduced a human form, a fisherman walking in the foreground possibly checking the damages.

Leisure Painter March

As usual, in Malaysia, you get UK magazines of the month in the middle of the month, sometimes even at month's end.

This month's Leisure Painter is must read for drawing enthusiasts for Ray Campbell Smith teaches Part 3 of his Drawing Matters section. I especially like the section on how to correct compositional errors (see picture below). I think if you start right in composing a picture, then the rest will sort of fall into place.



Other interesting sections include loosening your watercolour landscapes and for beginners, easy colour mixing tips.

By the way, this month's issue also carries a Painting Courses catalogue and if you are interested in planning a painting holiday, check it out.

MWO's Annual Show

The Malaysian Watercolour Organisation's annual show is a much awaited affair among watercolour lovers and this year is no exception.

Being held at the NN Gallery till April 15, this year's exhibition should not be missed if you are seriously considering collecting some very good pieces from the nation's top watercolourists.

For those unaccustomed, the Malaysian Watercolour Organisation is one of the most active organisations dealing in watercolour in Malaysia. Among its stable of painters include Chow Chin Chuan, Calvin Chua, Yong Look Lam, Sani Md Dom, Rafiee Abdul Rahman, and Mansor Ghazalli, among others. Under the able leadership of Tan Sri Samsuddin Osman (the patron) and Dr Wong Seng Tong (president), the members have come up with some striking works this time.

Over 80 pieces works of art on a wide range of subjects, mostly striking landscapes such as fishing villages and kampung scenery, plus some townscapes have been put up by over 40 members and this year's works are extremely good. I will not spoil the fun telling you more here but will give you an peep into some in the photos below.



Khoo Cheang Jin's Village Scene


Wong Seng Tong's Climbing Fishing Boat


Choh Kok Kheong's Approach

Note: NN Gallery is located at 53A & 56 Jalan Sulaiman 1, Taman Ampang Hilir. It is open from 9am-6pm (Mon-Sat) and closed on Sun and Public Holiday. For details, call Syed Nabil: (03) 4270 6588

Searching for Mekong's Source - Cheng Fee Ming's Latest Show

ABOVE: Some of the sketches Chang did
Renowned watercolourist Chang Fee Ming is having an exhibition of his latest works which resulted from a four year-effort documenting the highlands of Tibet along the route of the great Mekong. This exhibition is the sequel to the Mekong 1 show held at Petronas Gallery four years ago.

Currently held at the Valentine Willie Fine Art gallery in Bangsar, the exhibition titled Mekong: Exploring the Source, took the Terengganu-born Chang, 49, to the Tibet-Yunan border.

Sixteen major works, (14 full-size (56 x 76cm) and two diptychs, as well as numerous sketches that he did during the journey.

The show ends in April.

Galeri Shah Alam Open Exhibition 2008

The gallery is organising an open show with a free theme with RM1,000 prizes for the top five paintings. Closing date is April 24, 2008. For details, call at

GALERI SHAH ALAM
Persiaran Tasik,
40000 Shah Alam,
Selangor

or phone:

Tel: 03-55105344/ 55106045
Fax: 03-55102081
e-mail: galerisa@streamyx.com
http://www.galerishahalam.org.my

Lovett has produced new DVD

Aussie artist John Lovett has just produced his latest DVD on his painting techniques entitled Splashing Paint . In this two-hour (wow!), Lovett shows how he works on 16 different projects, ranging from painting trees to creating atmospheric effects just like a professional artist.

According to the materials available, the DVD will help you avoid mixing muddy colors, make smooth, even washes, drawing clean, confident lines with a brush, and even choosing colour temperatures.

Just click on the links above to find out more about the DVD and pricing.