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The minute I saw this scene, I knew I have to paint it.  I want to capture that whole sombre, nostalgic feeling which tells an interesting story. This needs no descriptions nor explanations in length. I want the viewer to tell me their version of story instead.

This reference picture was taken in an iron factory museum in Nanfangao, Taiwan during my trip there early this year. It was previously an iron factory in the early 60’s. But due to technology advancement and changes of the times, the factory closed  down in 2004. And now, with the effort of the owner, it was turned into the Sangang Iron Factory Museum.

From the outside, this museum looks like an ordinary old taiwanese shophouses. If we were not taken in for a tour, I would not have know that it was a museum.  It was messy with all kinds of old metals and ironworks.

There’s something about quietness.  That particular moment where we are able to hear our innermost thoughts. A time for reflections, contemplations with a hint of melancholy.

No one can deny that in some point of our lives, there are times when we need to be in THAT quiet moment. It is not about self pity or sadness,  just ‘down’ time, to halt and reflect.

To retreat into the quietness is not selfish, it is a dissonance that we need to appreciate what we have, to mature and transfigure us.

Being an artist, a moment of quietness is priceless. It is a time when I can be my true self, to listen to my inner voice. I let out all of the anger, bitterness and sadness that were buried deep inside without hurting anyone else. It is a way to purge out all those negative thoughts and thereafter, move on with a positive mind.

So, enough

WHERE sunshine flecks the green,
Through towering woods my way
Goes winding all the day.

Scant are the flowers that bloom
Beneath the bosky screen
And cage of golden gloom.
Few are the birds that call,
Shrill-voiced and seldom seen.

Where silence masters all,
And light my footsteps fall, 
The whispering runnels onlyWith blazing noon confer;
And comes no breeze to stir
The tangled thickets lonely.

– Siegfried Sassoon (1886–1967).  The Old Huntsman and Other Poems.  1918. 

This is something very different from all of my previous work. Landscape! Lots of green and green is the my fearful colour of all. The reason is because I find this colour very tricky, especially when it comes to realism art. It can turn out to be very cartoony or very rigid.

I got the inspiration when I was vacationing in Bandung, Indonesia last December. We stayed in a resort up on

I had totally forgotten about writing a blog on this one, how could I?? This was done way back in September 2016.

How large could I work with colour pencil? Never thought of it before and that got me thinking. To my ability, I figured that the largest I could go is about 40 x 30 inches max.

As for the subject, it needed to be something simple without too many detailed work. It could not be just a pretty painting, it has to have some substance to it. I was quite obsessed with rock pebbles at that time and naturally it became the perfect subject.

I went around for several days, to the beach and waterfalls, to get inspirations. But it was all in vain.  It was when I was almost at my wits end that a sudden image of rock pebbles in water with bubbles ‘appeared’ in my head. And I knew just

You must be wondering what on earth was I thinking picking a subject like this.

Well, I want to do something, using colour pencils, subjects that are not ‘normal’. If you have been following my style of artworks, you will notice that I tend to gravitate towards old worn out metal stuffs. It is both a challenge of testing my skills and the ability of this medium.

I got the idea when I was browsing through Pinterest, searching for some inspirational subjects. I came across a painting of some mysterious looking abandoned industrial machines painted in oil. And I was immediately drawn to it.

Now, where do I start searching for similar subject? Took me several days of drilling my memories to finally get the ‘Aha!’ moment. My husband’s mechanic shop. That’s it!!

I told my dear hubby of my intention and asked whether his mechanic will allow me to snap photos of engine

Looking at this subject, how can one see beauty in that? It is rusty, raw, edgy. What am I trying to proof with this subject matter?

Before I dwell further about the why, let me tell you how I ‘stumbled’ upon this chains.

As I was walking along the beach across my house, searching for inspirations, I came across this bulk of rusted chains. It was hanging down from a huge tree, camouflaged amongst the branches and leaves.

At a glance, it looked just like any other piece of junk. But somehow, something caught my eyes. Under the brilliant sun, something glittered. I looked through the view finder of my camera and I saw it. I was mesmerised by the textures and colours, nature’s work of art. The term ‘Wabi-sabi’ came to mind.

Wabi-Sabi represents a Japanese aesthetic philosophy that embraces authenticity over perfection. Characterised by asymmetry, irregularity, simplicity, economy, austerity, modesty & intimacy, wabi-sabi values natural objects

Nascence – emergence,  coming out into existence for the first time.

The title speaks volume since this is my first ever piece of abstract art with colour pencils.

I received a personal invitation via email from Vera Curnow.CPSA,  the founder the Colored Pencil Society of America (CPSA)  back in March this year. She challenged me to take a break from my usual art style and submit an abstract piece for the  CPSA bi-annual To The Point (TTP) magazine June 2017 issue. She is featuring abstract art works with colour pencils and hoped to have more abstract representation in order to step up and reinforce the concept that coloured pencil medium is versatile.

Initially,  I was quite doubtful of my ability because even though I do appreciates some abstract art but it has never crossed my mind to venture into that genre of art.  But nevertheless, I gave it a try anyway and will

Shard- a piece of broken ceramic, metal, glass, or rock, typically having sharp edges.

This  4th and final piece of my “Time” series showing all the dismantled parts of the clock haphazardly ‘dumped’ in the casing of the rusted clock. It depict the end of a life span, end of time.

This series, from the beginning to the end, is a metaphor of a person’s life, starting from the time when we begin to slow down physically and mentally till the end. Harsh it may seem but it is a reality. Aging is not something that people like to discuss nor talk about, but I beg to differ and that is why I chose this subject.

I have always enjoy listening to golden ager reminiscing their pasts. The faraway look on their faces when they talk about their past fascinates me, it is like watching a movie, all in

This is my interpretation of life when one is in the autumn of their lives and our physical body starts to degenerate. At this stage of time, do we give up and let our mind and body just rot away or choose to live life to the fullest?

For me, it is time to reflect and develop a depths of our being, to step up to the life ahead.

“Miracles occur when human beings step up to the life they’ve got right there, in the muck and the mire, and discover they’re far more creative and capable than they ever dreamed they were. Miracles occur when we learn to blossom right in the middle of what we told ourselves we could never survive or get beyond. Miracles happen when we discover that we are far more than who we ever thought we were or what we were taught to be. Miracles occur when we have

Time can be so unforgiving. Even the mechanism that we use to measure time gets antiquated as time goes on.
Just like us, with each passing day, we grow older and in a blink of an eye, years passed and when we look at our reflection in the mirror, we see our parents instead.

BUT is it a bad thing? Given the opportunity, would you want go back in time? To be young again?

To me, the ups and downs, good and bad that I had experienced throughout four decades, made me into who I am today. A much more confident, calmer and patient person. I observed and listen more. I have learned to appreciate each passing day.

All that, only time can give, no money in the world could buy that.

This is the second sequel to my ‘Time’ series. Why did I chose this subject matter? I believe time is very significant in everyone’s life. Our lives revolves around time,