my ginga brush

sanctify the moment

2010-05-11T06:51:00.000-07:00

from the Angel's blackboard by fulton sheen. these three words are all that i need... and everything will be alright. Sometimes we worry to much (or should i say I); we are overcome with fear, frustration and anxieties and tend to forget to lift up to God and let Him take charge...

just when everything seems to be going smoothly, some unfortunate situation comes along. i am still on the path of understanding why such events need to take place. maybe God is preparing me for something big..or maybe it is a test...or maybe....i really do not know. i do believe though that everything happens for a reason, be it from our doing or a circumstance that is out of our hands... i do hope the Lord will enlighten me on this one. But it is with these trials that we are reminded that this is our journey with Him and we have Him by our side always.

i am surprised to be sharing some thoughts not related to my work...and i have nothing to show for now still :s i am optimistic though that soon i will be able to paint again. :)

Nice short prayer i heard again from last week's mass,

God, grant me..

the serenity to accept the things i cannot change

the courage to change the things i can

and the WISDOM to know the difference.

blank canvas

2010-04-10T08:22:00.000-07:00

i miss painting.

my easel has been sitting quietly in the living room for almost 4 months now. this is also about the same time since i started my new work. every time i come home (even in the dark) i can feel my white canvas staring at me.. blank. i sometimes get the urge to pick up my brush and start a new composition but somehow as soon as i reach home i just plop to bed..

arghh i hate this feeling! it is as if 24hours is not enough for a day anymore. and, no matter how much i want to remain energized, my body is just failing me. i wish i can surpass this adjustment period and embrace my new work-life routine. i am blessed to have what i have now but my brain still continues to battle..... i just hope to find a way to squeeze some brush mileage....soon!

on a brighter note, the past 3 months has been a big leap for me and quite fulfilling in many ways. i am excited as to how things will progress.

i'm sorry i am vague in details..this is just me ranting and raving :p

untitled number 2

2010-01-30T00:17:00.001-08:00

contemporary painting #2

oil on canvas 30x30

i found time to paint today and finished this painting that i started last november. also untitled, there isn't much story in this one.. it's simple and feels peaceful (or because i feel that way now) and i love the contrast of blue and red. i'm in need of title suggestions!

untitled number 1

2010-01-29T23:36:00.001-08:00

contemporary painting #1

oil on canvas 30x30

it's now 2010 and my progress so far has been slow AND i am fearing it's going to halt soon. this is not because i have lost interest in painting but it's the designer in me calling! i left my company of almost 3 years and took on a new one which requires a great amount of time therefore struggling to find time to paint. this isn't a very bad thing of course because i'm enjoying my new work (so far :p) and best of all, i'm learning! so though i have little brush mileage at this point, at the end of the day, i feel fulfilled. hey we all have to make some sacrifices.

anyway, still on the path of discovering what style to concentrate on, i'm now doing some contemporary works. this is a painting i made last november. it hasn't been signed therefore cannot be called finished. i'm still contemplating on what adjustments can be done.. and i can't think of a title..help!

bluebelles

2009-11-13T23:23:00.001-08:00

bluebelles

oil on wood 5x7

i made this small painting as a gift to my friend and number one fan.. happy birthday carla! :)

great masterwort

2009-10-27T10:47:00.000-07:00

astrantia major

oil on wood 8x11.5

painting on wood is a new experience and i enjoyed it a lot. the paint moves very smoothly as compared to other surfaces..i kinda missed how the oil stays wet as i've been painting on paper for the past week (the paper isn't actually meant for oil). this is just a thin application done in a few hours and u can still see the grains of the wood if you look closer.

the image is a flower bokeh (blurred background) and i tried to paint it as how it was taken. i finally found the name of this flower thanks to the guys at wetcanvas.

red wine

2009-10-26T08:10:00.000-07:00

red wine

oil on paper 5x7

i'm on a roll!! i'm adding up on my brush mileage :) tried my hand on loose painting tonite. it is really fun.. i might do this more often. plus, this is my first painting from life. i have a lot of firsts this week..happy! :)

i wanted to learn how to drink wine because a little bit is good for the health..so i bought a bottle of cheap red wine. it's been sitting here for a while now and still half full. only consumed mostly for my chili garlic shrimp dish, which is delicious by the way :p oh and i can drink red wine when i mix it with grape shake.. i think it's soo good i got tipsy from drinking too fast. anyway, i poured a bit on a glass for tonite's painting and can't manage to drink it afterwards.. 1 glass wasted for art's sake.

WIP - girona,spain

2009-10-26T06:01:00.001-07:00

girona,spain
oil on canvas 24x36

just a peek of what i'm currently working on. i want it to be part of my october works but might not finish in time. actually i just want share what i've accomplished so far. i'm so excited to finish this piece! :)

sunflower by marj

2009-10-26T05:38:00.001-07:00

sunflower by marj

oil on paper 7.5x11

this is my sister's first attempt at oil painting. with just a little bit of guidance from me. she finished this with a smile on her face. i'm not sure if it's a smile of satisfaction or just a sigh of relief that she's done with it haha i hope it's not the latter! wish we can do more paintings together :) nice work sis!

tulips

2009-10-26T05:21:00.001-07:00

tulips

oil on paper 8.5x9.5

this is another one of my little paintings :) i made this on an early saturday morning. woke up at 7 and couldn't go back to sleep so i got up and started to sketch. this is my first flower painting and i'm thinking of doing some more for more practice.

tomatoes

2009-10-26T04:50:00.000-07:00

tomatoes

oil on paper 8.5x10

i was at home on a friday night and in the mood to paint! this is a still life from a photo (still haven't tried painting from life; maybe i will soon). i ran out of small canvasses so i started experimenting on stratmore watercolor paper. i don't know if it's a good idea but i just went ahead since i had no other option. the oil from the paint dries very quickly so it looks like craypas. my guess is either the oil seeped right through the paper or it evaporated quickly..hmmm. it is best to prime it with acrylic medium but again i didn't have this around. (i better stock up on my supplies!) anyway, after a while i got used to how the paint interacts with the paper, finished this in 3 hours. the tomatoes look juicy to me :)

autumn trees

2009-08-27T09:27:00.000-07:00

autumn trees

oil on canvas 18x24

i was insipred to paint trees after i came back from cameron highlands where we had a mini trek through the mossy forest.it was green (and mud!) everywhere. of course there is no autumn in malaysia so it had no resemblance to this at all but the perspective of height and cluster of trees reminded me of our trip. my reference photo would still be a picture i took from flickr. ha! i always browse photos from there because the shots are very very good and the images are really crisp. i get inspired by flickr's photos and want to paint what i see. i hope it's ok with the owners that i borrowed their pictures as my subject though.

honestly, im not too happy with this painting and just want to let it be.. it sucks! i really feel there is something wrong..i hope my next one would be better. i'm starting on a bigger canvas now. goodluck to me! :)

on one's passion

2009-08-26T20:28:00.000-07:00

whatever stage in life you're in, there will always be people who will pull you down. they may be complete strangers or people close to you. turn a deaf ear and tell yourself you are good. Have courage, keep on trying..

You are great, i believe in you!

balloons

2009-08-18T22:32:00.001-07:00

balloons

oil on canvasboard 9x12

"while i'm busy looking up the balloon, i realized that there's an ice cream melting in my hand. makes sense? don't take things for granted."

i received this quote last week and suddenly thought it would be fun to paint balloons! At that moment, i searched for pictures as my reference. Even when i had a scheduled badminton that night, i wanted to complete this in one sitting so i hurried home to sketch and started working. Not as easy as i thought because i usually wait for each layer to dry before proceeding to the next.. now i was painting wet on wet. In the end, it took me two sitting so i can paint the finishing touches.

winter

2009-07-30T19:45:00.001-07:00

winter

oil on canvas 18x24

i have never seen snow in my life so this is the closest i can get..for now. i actually wanted to do a predominantly white landscape with just a hint of detail but as i went on my painting evolved to this (far from my initial intent). i had a bit of a struggle with this composition but learned quite a lot in the process. in any case, i'm quite happy how it turned out.

by the way, i changed my signature! will be using this from now on :)

lighthouse

2009-07-29T01:19:00.001-07:00

lighthouse

acrylic on canvas 26x28 (with frame)

my first and only acrylic painting done in my summer class 2002. this is from a painting by thomas kinkade. he is an amazing painter, i love all his works. every scene in his painting has a distinct glow of light..i can stare at it for a long time and feel like i am actually there. so, i decided to try one and here it is! (i hope i did some justice to his work). the original painting can be found here.

it felt a little different working on this piece simply because i was using a different medium for the first time. i had to adjust. acrylic dries much faster than oil and i was subconsciously rushing knowing that my paint will dry almost instantly. my perception was that i have little room for error. maybe it just takes getting used to but i guess i still prefer working with oil because it allows me to take my time and experiment on my canvas; i can leave it for some time and adjust it the following day if i want to.

it's good to try different things and in the end choose where you're most comfortable at. i decided i'm sticking to oils :)

dolphins

2009-07-29T00:15:00.000-07:00

dolphins

oil on canvas 18x24

It takes awhile for me to post a new painting since I only paint during my free time (which isn't much these days). so in the meantime, il show you my old works. not a lot actually, i have only produced 4 paintings before 2008 (not including one unfinished work). this is one of them, painted back in high school. it's now hanging in our hallway at home together with a few other paintings me and my sisters made.

dawn

2009-07-19T23:34:00.000-07:00

dawn
oil on canvas 18x24

i was choosing a subject to work on next when suddenly someone told me i couldn't paint this.. and so i did. started early 2008 and stopped for 1 whole year...i finished this just recently. while it was ok painting this piece, it will be a reminder that i will never do something just to prove myself to someone.

sunset

2009-07-19T23:21:00.004-07:00

sunset
oil on canvas 18x24

this is from a photograph i found somewhere and started painting it plein air at labrador park. there is a nice feeling about working outdoors especially with natural lighting and God's beauty surrounding you. i was so immersed with my piece i had to stop only because it was getting dark. the hard part of this though was when i had to carry my wet canvas along with my easel and other things,take a crowded bus and head home. i worked in my living room till i finished the painting from then on. i don't know which was worse actually because my tiny flat had practically no space i had to work on the floor beside a shag carpet which sheds fibers every single day (naturally sticking to my brush and paints.. -.-) plus set up and pack each time! it took me a staggering 4 months painting on and off. needless to say, i enjoyed working on this piece a lot :)

beginnings

2009-07-19T01:41:00.000-07:00

There are countless of things I want to do in life and I want to be good at each of them. So I begin to focus and devote my time in that particular interest. I study and research and give my 100% in my newfound passion. It is not merely a hobby in passing because I have a vision of actually seeing through that particular work materialize and eventually becoming a part of what I do….until I reach a peak…then I suddenly find myself drawn to another interest and thereby leaving the previous so called passion behind. This always happens. Maybe it comes from my eagerness to try out new things and craving for learning, acquiring new knowledge and becoming better and better. I am very passionate in what I do and I want to give my best in everything and I do it. The problem lies in following through long term wise. I have lots of beginnings but they get lost somehow along the way and the interest just fades away..
though this being said, I know that my heart is always and will always be in the arts. And its constantly nagging, seeking to be heard.... i have neglected it for some time but now I'm finding it again.. Hence this blog is created.
i have always loved painting particularly oil. I have this crazy ecstatic feeling of holding that long and slender brush, mixing paints in my palette and creating life in my canvas.. it gives me so much energy, i love it! I miss the smell of pigment paint,linseed oil, even turpentine..(which i know is bad).. these now linger in my living room. :) My passion for painting has always been there but is now brought back to life, with hopes of progression and permanence til im probably old enough to even hold a brush.. I know its still too early to say this, after all, its only been 2 months. but i don't care.. im so excited i can't wait to show you my works!
This site i created to share my paintings and other stuff. I will try as much as i can to tell the story and process behind each one. Your critiques and comments are very welcome. I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as i enjoy creating my own little masterpieces.

Ginga (pronounced jinga) is a term referring to the rhythm and grace, the fluidity and movement in playing soccer. I would like my paintings to radiate this principle.. :)