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Every once in a while, I have to explore something that is outside of my comfort zone. Like this one, for instance.

I came across the artworks by the late painter, Walter Tandy Murch . Was absolutely captivated by his style. Very texturised, clever play of light and shadows with multiple muted undertones of colours. It is something in-between expressionism and realism genre of artwork. Most of his still life subjects are your everyday things but very old; antiques. A subject matter which I love.

That got me thinking perhaps, I could try to implement some of his style with colour pencils. I know very well that it could never be 100% like his but maybe ‘adopt’ something similar. With that in mind, I have to find a subject that I can try it with.

While trying to look for the ‘candidate’, I recalled that I took a photo of an old

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

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

Treasure trove, literally means “treasure that has been found”. The term treasure trove is often used metaphorically to mean a “valuable find”, and hence a source of treasure, or a reserve or repository of valuable things. The term is also often used metaphorically.– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_trove

Now this, may not be considered as treasures to many. BUT to me, it brought out troves of loving memories that I had of my childhood.

My late father was a handyman. There was nothing he could not repair around the house. He had this heavy duty military type toolbox where all his previous tools were kept inside. He made sure to keep every tool well oiled and in good working conditions. Anybody who uses it without putting it back where it belong, will be given a good lashing. That was how precious those tools were to him.

I was trained by him to recognised each and every tool in that box.

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,

What is time? Does it even exist? Have you ever wonder?

When we think of time we tend to think of the ways in which we measure the passing of time, such as a clock or watch, or perhaps a measured interval of time such as an hour or minute, but not of time itself. So what is time? Exactly what is it that we are measuring? -www.thekeyboard.org.uk

To me, TIME is a big mystery. Since the day we were born, our life is measured and controlled by time. Everything we do now, past and future are all based on time. Is it a good or bad thing?

Deep huh? Maybe I think too much. But sometimes, I can’t help it. I imagined life without worrying about time. No deadlines, no getting pissed by people who are always late to an appointment. The dread of waking up to the shrill of the alarm and many

I grew up in a time where the use of these manual typewriters were slowly being replaced by the electric ones. By the time I was working, they were considered antiques.

Don’t know why, I have always been fascinated by this ‘mysterious’ machine. Every time I see one, I could not resist studying and caressing it, wondering about the person who used it and what did he or she typed on it, my mind will go into imagination overdrive.

I came across this antique typewriter during my trip to the United States last year. It is  a Remington Standard own by an artist friend of mine, Dianne Peters Gruber, who lives in Glenn Rose, Texas with her husband Pete. I was very fortunate to be invited by her to live in their house for the duration of my trip there.

I had only noticed the typewriter

For One More Day
‘This work sets a distinctive mood in the “portrait” of a clock. The artists has created a wonderful composition using a range of values that communicates much more than the time.’
– comment by judge Elizabeth (Betsy) Holster, CPSA

 Still could not believe it!!

This is my very first ‘win’ in an International online juried competition. What more, it is Colored Pencil Society Association’s (CPSA) 2015 Spring ArtSpectations.

ArtSpectations is CPSA annual event. I have entered twice, 2013 and 2014 but both were not successful. It is not an easy feat to win anything because all the entries are spectacular!

I still remember the judge for the ArtSpectations Fall 2013, Jeff George CPSA, who is a very accomplished artist himself. Even though my entry for that year did not win anything, he private messaged me, thanking me for participating and encouraged me to keep