mama hen baby chicks ...

Last post ... September 19 ... been quiet since then. No excuses this time ... it's the same old same old excuses ALL the time lol 

This is most likely the last post for the year. It has been a great year in terms of my painting. I was challenged to paint beyond my own expectations. Wouldn't have even bothered to try them had I not been commissioned to paint them. Anyway ... here's to many more great painting years ahead ... amen

Enough talk! Let's start showing off ... lol ... my favourite pastime hobby!!! I always get stressed out when asked to paint the avian family. Many many many efforts to get the hen n chicks look fluffy n cute! Quite happy with this one though ... but could have done better, I think. Next one maybe??

mama hen n her baby chicks :)

Anyway, I find it easier to post my works in Facebook (why? no write-ups required lol)... so if you are already a friend, please go view my albums there ya :) . If you are not but wishes to be .. then seek me at Norana Ghazali :)

Have a great day people ... and oh! Happy New Year !!!!

It's canvas this time :)

Sometimes one wonders what goes on in other people's minds ... wonders why there's no sense of guilt or remorse ... no empathy, no conscience. Oh well... sometimes I wonder why I need to wonder THAT in the first place???!!!!  ... LOL. 

Anyway, just a short note on this. A dear friend paints and supplies to a local craft shop her painted decorative items. Each design is painstakingly done, as far it goes she tries to be original, though at times ideas are borrowed here and there but always done her own way. Unfortunately... there is someone out there who bought her items, traced her designs ... and sold those designs commercially as her own!!! It's sad when one does not acknowledge the work of others .... :(

So... what have I been doing? Oh I've been busy painting ... but of course!!. It's just not that easy anymore to write and story-tell my finished works hehe. It's easier to have everything photographed and placed in the appropriate album in Facebook ... yup!yup!yup! So go look see there-lah ;))  Here today I'm going to show-off my paintings on canvas .... not thoroughly original ideas... but I did it my way adding touches of my own here and there.

This was a Terry Harrison original done in water-colour. I loved the whole look ... modified it, added my own potted plants and the bicycle... and did it my way in acrylics. 

.... and this is Ann Mortimer's "Cottage Window" in water-colour. Again the main idea was borrowed but I have added my own personal touches and did it in acrylics. I love both paintings ... it's still not up to my expectations yet, not as great as I imagined it to be ... but yeah! kak Masnah is happy ... so I am happier :)) 

I was told I need to create more depth with shadows and highlights, need to blur out certain parts so that other parts can "pop-out" ... hehe I'm still learning ... slowly making the transition from decorative artist to a fine artist ... amen! I'm self-taught ... read many books .. and not understanding the jargon LOL ... thus end-up painting my way hehehe. Wrong or right? ... hey! it's art! Art is subjective ... lalalalaaaaa

Have a great day people ... more to paint ...

Wish this is mine.... too

Here's another piece that I like and wish it's mine. Had this painted on the cover of a made-to-order serviette box to complement the orchid place-mat set for kak Masnah. Yup ... she's the lady with fantastic ideas! She has commissioned us ... Aniza, Zaitun and I ... to paint, on whatever surface that she wishes with whatever ideas that spurs out of her incredibly creative mind. So far, she has been satisfied with our work. My job this time was to paint orchids on her tableware.... the orchids you  viewed in my last post here are hers. 

 I accept and enjoy the challenge since the paintings are always something new and different... but I do get drained out upon completion of each project. Till now, I still get stressed out, afraid that my paintings are not up to expectation hahaha ... oh well ... 

Together with this and the 10 place-mats done earlier, I'd painted more orchids on a jug-shaped kitchen towel holder and on a tea pot-shaped place-mat ... thus completing her set of orchid table ware :))

And what's next for her? Another 75 coasters of varying shapes, colours and designs ... to be sent to England. See you ... when that's all done :)

Have a great week and Salam Ramadhan to all Muslims ....

The orchid set

10 placemats with 10 different orchids ....been at these for the past 2 weeks ... had to refer to photos of life orchids as reference. It was thus a major challenge as I had to use my own colour scheme since there was no guide or reference from pre-painted pics to give me the design pattern and colour palette to use! It looks better in reality ... my expertise in photography is highly questionable ...LOL


I actually gave myself 3 pats on each shoulder!! ... mighty please with my own work (how vain can one get huh ????) So here goes nothing ... have a look-see people ...*lalalalalala

It's still not a complete set ... 3 more items to add to the set ... but that would be for a later date. For now ... that's it. Will leave it be for tonight ... ready for varnishing tomorrow ... nite2 y'all

Kak Masnah's :)

Yup! It's time to show off more items that I'd painted in the past two months. They are now proudly displayed in kak Masnah's beautiful abode :)

The cutlery box I completed some time in April. She wanted a different scenario ...away from the usual flowers and tea settings .... hence this picnic thingy came across our minds. I took bits and pieces from everywhere, looked into works of various artists ...borrowed some of their ideas and created this piece. It's not entirely original but I did put on my thinking cap ...hehe

Then just this week, I completed a set of 10 chilli-red place-mats with a matching kitchen towel holder and a tea-pot shaped mat. Thoroughly did a free-hand drawing of everything ... including the lines that frame the paintings. 10 different types of flowers in vases placed on crumpled doilies ... she's happy... I'm happier. To match all that, I now have the task of painting 10 coasters to match ... 

And oh ... I also painted tulips on a t-shirt for her birthday :) ..and that was last month ... April 28

Kak Masnah is one helluva lady ... so full of ideas and she's constantly challenging me with ideas that I sometimes didn't know that I have! Her creative juices flow too fast!!!! However, I am thankful that our paths crossed ... I am blessed to be her friend :) Alhamdulillah

Well that's it for today ... back to my studio ... or perhaps .... maybe I should take 40 winks first ... hahaha ;) See you later ...whenever ;)

What is Tole and Decorative Painting?

What is Tole and Decorative Painting?

To those who have asked me the  difference between tole and decorative painting ... here's the answer as defined by The Society of Decorative painters

To quote the Society of Decorative Painters:

"Decorative painting is a diverse art form utilizing a variety of techniques and media to decorate functional and non-functional surfaces.

Because of the systematic methods employed, contemporary decorative painting is a highly teachable art form. The patterns or freehand designs allow a high degree of success without academic training or inherent drawing ability. Approached with creativity, discipline and craftsmanship, contemporary decorative painting offers opportunities for artistic self-expression and creative satisfaction.The scope of contemporary decorative painting is boundless. Styles and techniques of the past are incorporated into the trends and materials of the present, while developing the decorative art heritage of the future.

Tole painting is the general term historically used to describe decorative painting on tin surfaces, especially in New England and by the Pennsylvania Germans. Contemporary decorative painting encompasses not only the folk art styles of Sweden, Norway, Germany, Russia, England and Mexico, but many facets of Early American decorative painting such as stenciling, faux finishing, bronzing, gold leafing, country painting, theorem and graining."

Wish it's mine :(

Ok... I've been very silent yes? However , silence does not mean I'd done nothing new! Indeed I have been painting ... it's just that for now...maintaining a blog has become a BIG chore :(

And since I'd been silent for soooo long... I'd actually lost track of what I'd done ...hmmm. Let me seeeee ... hmmm... I'd done this and that ...and that too. Oh well ... I'd just show you my latest masterpiece. Did this on Yati's bread bin ...that was sent to me.....errrr.... many, many, many months ago (well, she did say to take my time ok? p/s to all other customers .... not a good phrase to quote ya ... I do literally take my time ...muahahahaha). 

Hehehe ...so what else is new huh? The mood to paint comes far and wide ... the inspiration is there when I look at paintings of other artists BUT the urge to hold a brush and start to paint is very elusive *sigh* (yup! been doing that a lot lately too!!!) Thank God, my customers are very patient. I may not be the best... but I do try my best. Anyway... here's the bin .... I like... she likes ... so it's ok :)) Both happy ...yup!yup!yup!

The Art of Intarsia

For those interested in knowing more about the art of Intarsia, below is a summary from an article by Robyn Ryan, History of Intarsian.

Intarsian (marquetry or inlay) is the art of 'painting' with wood on furniture. During the 14th and 15th centuries, marquetry was practised in Italy, the technique evolving through the Florentine School of Marquetry. Benedeitto da Maiano (AD 1444-1496) is credited as being responsible for the style of marquetry we know today, although the art form did not become popular until the 16th and early 17th centuries.

Marquetry is a craft whereby the marqueter makes intricate pictures and geometric designs by cutting and fitting together thin pieces of coloured wood (veneer) or other such highly prized timbers for their colour and lustre (cedar, satinwood, ebony, blackwood, rosewood, mahogany), other precious materials such as tortoiseshell and mother-of-pearl, inlays of gold, pewter and silver. When the picture is complete it is attached to items of furniture.

This was very labour intensive and expensive to produce and as such was only available to royalty and those of high society. Thus traders and carpenters were always searching to entice buyers by making their wares different. They quickly adapted the marquetry style and created veneer painting. Instead of using precious metals, shells and rare woods, they created a special paste made out of grounded maize, called it Kleister medium, add paint to it and created patterns with this mix by using coarse brushes and various other tools and stencils.

Today life is much easier for the craftperson. We no longer have the laborious task of cutting stencils and making maize paste. Instead we use low tack masking film, water-based paints and commercially produced Kleister medium. We also use MDF Board or inexpensive pine with a base of yellow or gold to give a rich undertone to the veneer painting. This is then antiqued to give the aged mellow tone of marquetry that most of us find unobtainable but still desirable.

Anyway, as the story goes .... Zaharah brought her friends over 2 weeks ago to view my work. Kak Maznah was impressed by my Intarsian tray that I did in 2003 and requested for a class. Since time is of the essence in doing this technique, a workshop was created ... and that was exactly what we did last Wednesday, 18Jan 2012 ... my first workshop for the year :)

The 4 ladies keen to take up the task :)

It was a tedious laborious job as one needs to have patience and steady hands and the passion to persevere, but it was a job well done by these 4 ladies. What remains now is to shade and antiqued the plaque ... and there you go ... an heirloom to be passed on down the generations :)

The cabinet-divider

I have been very busy lately trying to complete the various commissioned jobs ... Alhamdullilah for the bounty that Allah has provided me. My last major job for 2011 was a 5-ft tall open cabinet that kak Masnah has conveniently converted as a divider too .... hence the reason why the painting was done at the back of the cabinet! It now stands tall and proud in her living room :)

Took me 2 months to mull over the design ... changing ever so often in my mind's eye ... until one fine day, it suddenly dawned on me (picture this : light bulb flashing in the brain hehe) that I should just paint a watery scenery since kak Masnah specifically requested to maintain the original blue of the cabinet.

Again, my paintings are a product of inspiration ... and this time Jacqueline Penney is the source :) So ... a painting of a calm, serene watery landscape was completed after 3 weeks of hard work.

The cabinet as viewed from the left, centre and right

I have also painted flowers on two bins ... a veeeeeeery long wait for Marina for me to complete these for her. Sorry dear ...

So ..that's it for now ... am lost for words... seems to have been experiencing a writer's block for many many moons now ...*sigh

House #36A

Salmi's birdhouse is finally done. Took me a while to fulfill her request for a Tudor birdhouse.

Firstly, it's not of the right architecture ...especially the roof ... wrong structure! The shape of the whole house just made it difficult to make it look like a Tudor house.



Secondly... it was a make-over from a decal-pasted design to this. Had to remove the decal pieces, re-apply coats of gesso and paints to cover the mess created hehe

Anyway ... the outcome is pleasant enough... I hope. Salmi is happy ... so I am happy too :))

... and soooooo now... on to my next project ... painting daffodils on a bin :)





Have a great day y'all .... :))

The week that was ....

Hello everybody ... the sun plays hide and seek behind the clouds today. I feel sluggish as I'm a sun-person ... but ... my spirits are not dampened as I managed a very fruitful week last week. This week... I spent time completing the tasks :))

Chempaqa's tray is a design I adapted from Bonnie Heppe Fisher. I simply adore her paintings ... it gives me a feeling of serenity everytime I look at them :)

Then there is this bin that I'd put on hold for almost two years ... basically because it was a repeat design (I hate repeats). I painted for Marina a bin of ALMOST the same design ... hehehe no two paintings can ever be exactly the same right???!! ... some two years ago. Her sister liked it and asked me to do the same ... AFTER Marina got me to paint on another piece of same design!!! Two repeats I can accept ... but to repeat THREE times???? ... hehehe hence the loooonnngggggg delay!!! Oh dear ... thank God she's patient enough to wait... oh dear! Anyway ... it's done now ... but oh my! where did I keep the pedals huh???

Oh well ... it has been a great week ... after a long hiatus from painting. The queue of commissioned jobs is long ... Alhamdulillah ... Salmi ... your birdhouse is next ... InsyaAllah :))

Backyard in the kitchen?

The mood to paint seems to be mighty elusive these past few months... I have been very unproductive :((( BUT today I amazed myself. Completed Ani's plastic dispenser all in ONE day ... huhu..... oh well, at least the major part of it haha

She requested for a garden scenery ... I made it to look like a backyard with garden tools and pots to boot. Have a look see ... again, as usual, it's a prelim .... I may or may not add more to it :))

That's it for now ... nite2 :)

eat ur veges!

Just a short note this time ... seems to have lost the knack for words lately. Anyway ... painted these vegetables on a kitchen towel holder ... still not too please with the carrots (appears flat and not cylindrical!) ... but oh well, that was the best I could do after 3 re-dos! Paint has become a wee bit thick there after all the touch-ups haha ...



That's it for now ... taa :)

Avian family :)

I don't really paint animals or any other kind of figurines unless there is a request for them. Thus, this I paint for Yasmin. Actually, I barter trade with her ... my paintings for her grandma's wardrobe ... I hope I did justice to the trade :)

This was painted on a cutlery box


















.... and this is for Zoe, her beautiful daughter :)



... painted from my heart :)
Thanks Yas ...

Long hiatus :(

Since the last solo workshop, I had been unproductive. Seemed like all energy had been sapped out from within me ... and to top it all ... the fasting does not help in creating any enthusiasm in painting!!!

Finally last week I managed to get something done for Salmi. Completed her 2 shelves with a local flower, the bunga kangkung (sorry don't know what it is in english hehehe). Made them a mirror-image of the other on the shelves.

Then yesterday.... I finally found the courage and confidence to paint tea cups on her WHITE LACY LINEN tablecloth. Courage? Yup ... there was this nagging fear that I would spoil and mess up the piece!!! ...and today ... it's all done :)) A tea cup at each of the 4 corners of the 6-seater tablecloth.... and if I may add ... am mighty pleased with the result *pat pat pat on the shoulder*




















So that's it for now ... until my next bout of painting mood ... have a great weekend ahead ...