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I have always been drawn to old stuffs especially when there’s metal involved. Old typewriters, clocks, printing machines ….. This time, it is the mechanism of an antique mantel clock.

Subjects like these are not really popular even in Realism art. Perhaps because it is quite glum. But to me, when I see things like this, my intuitive vision kicked in. I see a story and perhaps, secrets in those antique pieces.

But what kind of story? Well, I have mine but I don’t want to make this mine alone. I want it to be a piece of artwork that has an emotional evolution. It can be memories, time lost, reminiscing good old days, anything, rather than just look at it as just some metal thing. BUT, It is also not wrong to see it as just some old metal junk.

I have done a few similar subjects in the

atemporal/eɪˈtɛmp(ə)r(ə)l : existing or considered without relation to time.

I am always fascinated by trees, especially the very old ones. I can just stand by it and imagine all kinds of scenes and era it had witnessed and been through. Even long after we are gone, these trees, if not destroyed by humans, remained, unaffected by time.

“When you walk through a forest that has not been tamed and interfered with by man, you will see not only abundant life all around you, but you will also encounter fallen trees and decaying trunks, rotting leaves and decomposing matter at every step. Wherever you look, you will find death as well as life. Upon closer scrutiny, however, you will discover that the decomposing tree trunk and rotting leaves not only give birth to new life, but are full of life themselves. Microorganisms are at work. Molecules are rearranging themselves. So death isn’t to

Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes. – Carl Jung

These words could not have been truer. Especially with my state of mind before I decided to create this piece.

In December 2021, for the whole month, I was extremely busy socialising, attending art and talk events. Everything seemed to happen within very short notice after the long Covid lockdown. Galleries and social events went out full force, trying to make up lost times.

Being more towards an introvert (Oh, I can socialise well if need to but not that often), it was all quite too much for me. I felt lost and was pretty emotionally ‘disarrayed’. It was too much for me. Mentally exhausted.

This particular reference photo was taken in 2019, when I was preparing for my first solo exhibition. I decided not to use it because

A bit of an odd subject, with these onions. Rotten onions, to be exact.

This came by unexpectedly. I did not intentionally picked this subject matter, I think it chose me instead.

I have not been cooking as often as I would like to lately, so some perishable stuffs tend to rot away. For instance, these 3 red onions.

Strangely, when I was about to dump them into the bin, something held me back. My mind went “Hang on, put it aside for a couple of days and see what happened”.

By that, I definitely don’t have any intention to use them for any cooking for sure. Perhaps a painting of it?? So I left them on that ledge for about 2 weeks and warned everyone in house to not touch nor move them, hubby included.

I was dilly dallying before I realised how long the shoots have grown. And the colours!! The

Looking at this, I am quite sure many of you may wondered why I picked this subject matter. Eaten corn cobs???

Why?

Well, let me tell you the story…

Firstly, let me tell you that this subject was not planned. Never crossed my mind to ever want to draw corns, what more, eaten corn cobs. Come to think of it, it is quite yucky to want to draw an eaten corn cob.

One weekend during the covid lockdown, I got so bored of cooking and decided to steam some corns for lunch. While we, the husband, the daughter and myself were eating it, I noticed something pretty fascinating.

I was staring at the both of them and really observed how they ate their corns. It was messy!! I thought there is only one way of eating corns on the cob, by eating each and every kernel!

But not them.

Excitingly but calmly….., I

Silence can be calm and soothing to some but it can also be quite deafening and scary to others.

I believe that it all depending on the individual’s state of mind, at that certain time. Personally, I find it very calming. Silence is my place of refuge, where I contemplate all the good and bad that goes on with life.

I live across a beautiful stretch of beach but I hardly go there. Reason is because it is a public beach with food stalls, so there’s always some crowds. If I ever feel like taking a stroll on the beach by myself, I would usually go quite early in the morning.

So, one fine day, when I was feeling a bit ‘stuffy’ in the head (not from cold, just too much going on up there), I decided to pay the beach a visit.

The sound of the waves was soothing,

“When you look a wild animal in the eye, it’s like catching a glimpse into the soul of nature itself”

-Paul Oxton

I started working on this piece on the 31st of March this year and I took my own sweet time with it. Not that I had nothing to work on, in fact, I was in the midst of working on a whole new series of artworks WHEN I received an invite to participate in a ‘by invitation only” group exhibition.

The theme is “LangUR“, a visual arts exhibition to create awareness in the Dusky Leaf Monkey (Langurs) conservation which will be held in August 2021 at Penang State Art Gallery. Part of the proceeds from sold artworks will be donated to the “Langur Project Penang (LPP)” organisation https://langurprojectpenang.com/.

This is definitely something that I could never resist. Art for a good cause, a purpose. Immediately I knew that I

Sempiternity: Existence within time but infinitely into the future, as opposed to eternity, understood as existence outside time.

Some time ago, I sort of stumbled across Leaves of Grass by American poet, Walt Whitman . I was really fascinated by his daring, foresighted thoughts, and mind you, we are talking about a person who was from the 19th Century.

Whitman suggests that the natural world moves through these spheres and appearances through a mode of natural continuity. “Time and space are ample”, meaning that there always is and always will be enough time and space for movement and growth within the natural world. The natural world merely follows a continuity of cycle. True reality is the spirit and that it lies beyond the reach or realm of the senses.

This piece of artwork, at a glance, may seems a little bit gloomy and perhaps, even a little bit depressed to some. But

Wild life paintings are something that I rarely do. The only reason that if I ever do any, it will be as a contribution piece to raise fund for a good cause.

This coloured pencil portrait of Bzui, and her cheeky daughter, Berisi, will be donated to a local Malayan Tigers conservation organisation http://rimau.ngo/ (RIMAU).

What I like most about RIMAU is that apart from their mission in advocating with various NGOs and government sectors in the conservation of the Malayan Tigers, their main core mission is working on the development and deployment of a well-trained workforce utilising primarily local Malaysians, especially the Orang Asli (indigenous peoples of Malaysia). With the proper tiger and forestry management practices, supported by appropriate laws and  necessary enforcement, they can systematically patrol the forest, ensuring that threats to the well-being of Malaysian local tigers and wildlife are eliminated.

The minute I

Memory is not just the imprint of the past time upon us; it is the keeper of what is meaningful for our deepest hopes and fears. –Rollo May

I chance upon this beautiful treasure at a friend’s house. My friend, Pearly Kee, is a homecook coach and author of 3 best selling cookbooks to date. She has appeared on numerous cooking programmes aired throughout Asia, showcasing the best of Nyonya cuisine. Quite a celebrity she is.

I have known her for some time and heard all about her wonderful cooking but never had the chance to try it. So when I received the invite to dine at her house, I was elated!!

While everyone was busy eating, my eyes kept looking towards a mysterious box at a corner. It was a plain, very old wooden box sitting on a small side table. I have been staring at it for quite a