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 ....

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 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 :)

What's cookin' ma??

Here in this post...you will see a small enamel pot painted for Chempaqa. That pot has been with me for soooo long. In the few (errr... few?????) months that it was with me... it has been base-coated 3 times, in 3 different colours and techniques, with 2 other designs hidden n buried under each base coat hahaha. Somehow I did not reach the satisfactory level that I'd set myself each time I paint for a customer ...*sigh* ... can't say I'm a perfectionist ... but I do need to acquire THAT certain sense of satisfaction upon completion of a project. What you see here now is the final outcome of MY dissatisfaction... I think I'm quite happy with this now... but as usual... it's not varnished yet ...which means that there may or may not be any afterthoughts prior to varnishing hehehehe ;)





.....sooo Chempaqa.... you ok with this???

Till my next post .... have a great day :))

Tea Time again....

Seems to be in a painting mood this week hehe .... so here's to show off another piece done on a tea pot-shaped plaque ;)) Painting was completed within the day....

So now I pray that the mood remains a lot longer so that I can paint a lot more ... oh dear!!!! MUST focus!!!!!!

That's all for today ... taking time off to go see my girl in Banting ... have a great day ya ;)

Hey Kitty kitty....

I was at Kak Masnah's to deliver the ring-box some 2 weeks ago when my roaming eyes fell on an old rusty tin that she had tucked (or chucked away...hahaha) in a corner. Being a tin collector, I couldn't resist asking her to spare me the tin ... hahaha.... was just trying my luck ... and oh-boy! She gave me the tin... on one condition... that I paint her the same design on a stool... hehehe. The challenge ... and the old rusty cookie tin ... I took, but of course!!! It's a rare tin... don't think there are many of the same around anymore!!!

<------ Soooo.... from this tin.... it became that stool ------->

Kak Masnah loves it... and I love it even more :)))

Close-up of Kitty in bowl :)

Yup! That's it for today... back to my messy studio ... errr... maybe back to facebook first hehe. My poor garden has been neglected again *sigh*

Have a great day y'all ... taa

Updates....

Since the last post... I'd completed a few more paintings :) I am of course obliged to show off.... muahahahaha. Anyway.... here goes nothing ..... lalalalalala ;)

These were done on a cutlery box following the techniques of Intarsia..... the cutlery set was done on the inside cover of the box. It was tedious but it was very satisfying...somehow this time around I had a few orders on Intarsia. Also did Intarsia with Victorian designs on 2 cake stands meant to be used as an accessory to display engagement gifts. Now... those 2 were an effort to complete!!! A day each just to set the designs on each tray.... plus a whole week of aching shoulders hahaha!!!!

Tea sets are also becoming a favourite now. Did a menu board and a welcome plaque depicting tea settings. These are for a cafe in Jakarta... now please give me a good reason why I shouldn't be proud of myself??? muahahahaha .... *sigh* my kids hate it when I gloat hahaha... but oh wellllll I guess.... if I deserve it.... means I deserve it la kan?kan?kan?.... so why not huh????

*sigh* that's it for now.... as usual... have a great day :)

What's new?

So what's new? My paintings of course ;) Apart from the usual roses and hydrangeas on cutlery and tea boxes and plaques and various other wood pieces... small items for the house... I'd done a few major projects worth mentioning.

Painted a simple garden scenery on 3-panel wooden screen. It was not a pre-planned traced-out design there... created the scenery as I go along. Had another pic in my mind initially... but what came out was not the original design I created in my mind's eye. That's just me... I paint as I feel it and let the juices flow to suit the piece. I'd to put in a lot of thoughts here just to make sure there's a continuity in the panels... but all in all.... say what you like... I enjoyed painting it...yup!yup!yup!

I also painted on a huge 6' x 5' mirror. Ruby loves the Port Merion collection... and thus she commissioned me to paint the lilies and the butterflies on this mirror. It now hangs majestically on her dining wall. Will show you the pic as soon as I get it photographed.

And finally my current favourite piece... a still life drawing inspired by Kingsley. I find it very difficult to depart with this one... Lizana commissioned it as a gift for her friend....

And so that's it for now my friend... check me out later if you may... I need to go back to my studio and paint some more for others... ;( that's it for others... can't paint any for myself yet... have a good day... cheerio...

More to show off hehe...

Just a few more to show off... so stay on a little while longer k... these are paintings different from what I'm usually commissioned to do.

The first is a girl-bear commisioned by Aunty Faridah for her grand-daughter. This I copied from Tina Hardy Nelson's work published in the Australian Folk Art magazine...(which issue?? hehehe don't ask...can't remember la...) with minor changes here and there. I quite like this piece. It's painted on a bookstand.

The roses on the stool are nothing new...but just to show that I tried Spice (a discontinued background colour from Jo Sonja's range) and the overall effect turned out to be quite pleasant. It just shows that one does not need to fear but be more adventurous with one's choice of colours ...one need not just stick to the same lolly-polly ones!!

This last...yup! the last one for now hahaha... is currently my favourite. Somehow I just love the feel of the scenery. I can feel myself sitting on the chair in the garden overlooking the sea. Again this is not an original...it's a design from Ros Stallcup...my favourite artist...this I paint for myself...to this, I bid you a good day....tata

I amaze myself sometimes...

It's just amazing how when one puts one's mind to the task...one can really perform wonders!!! Yup!Yup!Yup! Hmm I do believe I belong to that group of people who works well under pressure...hahaha


Anyway...it all started with an sms from Nani late last night saying that she's coming to collect her stuffs. Now...if you'd been with me all this while... you'd recall somewhere in my past posts that I'd painted for Nani but none that I could comfortably say I'm done with. I'd put them aside on display on my shelves waiting for the right moment to give them the final oomph...well...at least to my own eyes la...hehehe. That sms got the juices flowing...in fact it overflowed to a few more other projects that were put on hold too. I started early just after my dawn prayers and worked through the whole day...very much in time for Nani to collect her stuffs. I do wonder where I got the energy to complete them when since in the past few days...I find it such a chore to even hold the brush!!!...and when I do get to hold the brush...that's all that I could do...just hold the brush and nothing else!!!


I did a total of 4 wall-hung kitchen towel holders, 2 t-pot shaped ones and 2 wall plaques...some of which I didn't change much and had them varnished but the rest I'd done some minor touch-ups. Anyway...have a look see at some of Nani's stuffs that I'd presumably given some oopmh hahaha. The rest that I'd left them as they were can be seen in my past post. I'm happy to declare that Nani and her stuffs are at this very moment already on the way back to Sg Petani. My items are to be displayed at her shop together with some from Zaitun too ;) I am proud of me....*grin* *pat pat pat* (muahahaha that's me patting myself on my shoulders). It's a good day today....I can now go to sleep in peace..goodnite y'all....

Gosh...am I that old???

Guess what? Me thinks...age is catching up...really really really fast...*sigh* and **double sigh** Why??

Well... once upon a time not so long ago, I could work really really late into the wee hours of the morn, have a couple hours of sleep and be up again before dawn and start the day off almost immediately!! But now lately...though I still wake up before dawn... I do need to sign off rather early. Must have at least 6 hrs sleep and still feel like... hey, where's the night gone huh??

I also remember that I used to have a certain spring in my steps as I go about the day... but now?... I think even the tortoise can catch up with me haha. Whoa!!! I can't be THAT old can I?...50 won't be here but next year... but why oh why the lethargy, huh??? But hey...who says 50 is old anyway???duhhh...

Hehe... oh well...life has to go on...and so it does. I've been busy painting lately. Completed the main body...but somehow I still feel the paintings can be enhanced further. Again it lacks the oomph and I have to put it aside...them rather...and get back to complete them later when the inspiration comes. I think...age has taken its toll on my lack of creative juices oozing out of my being...muahahaha...anyway...have a look-see below ya...

Here are 2 Tea-pot kitchen towel holders. I thought I'd try a pen-and-wash technique...that's the one shown on the first piece here. Easy but tedious as every detail has to be drawn in with pigment ink.

These 2 are painted onto a wall-hung kitchen towel holder. The tuscany grapes design I copied from a kitchen towel I borrowed from Aunty Faridah hehe... The veggies I borrowed from a calender by Susan Winget.

The one with the bottle I enjoy doing the most...though it still lacks the final details, I find this piece very fulfilling. The one with the flowers I finished 2 weeks ago...together with the tea cups on the shelf shown in my previous post. Well Nani... these are all for your shop...I've 2 more tea-pot kitchen towel holders to do. (Fyi...Nani is the owner of "The English Cottage" in Sg Petani, Kedah and these are commissioned jobs for her)

My UFOs

Guilty as accused...everytime I look at my unfinished projects I feel very guilty *sigh* but BECAUSE they are my own projects... that's exactly why they remain unfinished until the urge comes for me to complete them. When will that be??? One fine day....InsyaAllah (God Willing)...one fine day hehe.

This mirror took a long time to complete even up to the present stage. It's another trompe l'oeil and it was a major challenge because I wanted the "shelves" by the mirror to be filled with miniatures. The centre top shelf remains empty because till now I still cannot decide what to put there! Toyed with a lot of ideas but none materialised.... have a good mind to just leave it empty and have it varnished and done with!!!

This one I quit half way because I was angry at myself!! It wasn't a good day for painting...(I was in a rather temperamental mood)...but I just had to do something before I 'explode' hahaha. I was attempting the blended technique (with retarder and all) but somehow being in that mood I couldn't focus and made a mess of the attempt! Moral of the story is... when in a foul mood... never attempt anything tedious....makes you feel more 'retardered' at the end of the day.....yup!yup!yup!

With this clock... I couldn't decide on how to complete the crown! Toyed with various ideas... but ideas they remain hahaha! Anybody has any ideas there? And no! Aniza dear.... you cannot have this one... muahahaha (my wicked sinister laughter... which my kids say sounded like Scooby Doo hahaha)

So there you go... my unfinished projects....*sigh*

Finished but unvarnished

I've been busy lately painting for a friend who wanted to have some for her newly opened shop... The English Cottage... in Sg Petani. Completed these few over the last 2 weeks but have yet to varnish them because I feel they still lack the oomph! Each project took me three days!...still life really is another challenge. Somehow... I feel I still need to do some fine tuning there. Nani... you have to wait...sorry

These three I finished in between sessions of frustrations haha. I have a habit of starting another project when I'm stuck with one! It keeps me going... when I complete one and am happy with it then I can usually go back to the one that stumps me. I did say "usually" didn't I?? It doesn't work all the time though.... thus the existence of the UFOs haha. Sooooo.... when that happens I start another one la....