roller-coaster week

I'm pretty content of what has happened last week I got a lot of things done. It was sort of a roller-coaster week as at the start it began slow. than tuesday I had to say goodbye to two of my friends whom were flying back to be with their family for this coming holiday. afterwards I had to throw  out my now pointless pile of notes that i slaved over this pass year, and had to go out to get new things from the agglomeration of commercial stores for my new life. :P

 Although  I do wish I  could of done more.  I've just been so busy last week, and I will be even-more-so this week as I've got deadlines to meet: art portfolios, a painting to complete, a resume to write and an interview for uni at the end of the week. I hope I get them in on time. The irony is that what suppose  be  time for me to after a hard year of school is that I'm running around doing things with a relax mind. ...... But i knew this would happen anyways. Life doesn't stop for me, which I need to remind myself now and again. 

Whilst  during the busy week, I finally got my tower of notes up and standing before throwing it out. yes It was almost tall as me. and yes, it took a long time constructing it, purely because the A4 finder files kept slipping out( till I tied it with  string). 

Apart from that, I can pretty much sum it up as a very productive week.  at least it I'm use to it now, or i would of crumbled by the sheer pressure. Gahh.... that would be nasty. I just hope I get the time to read my book and learn more French.  But will I be able to when I already started up an art journal and working 5 days a week? Who knows..... Life is too short , so better do it now than later.  :P

If anyone has a bigger tower than me, please show me :P CAUTION: assembling a tower of notes without proper structure is potentially life-threatening as it can collapse and crush you. 

Also thanks to the people who supported my artwork at the New Arts Awards 2011. Even though didn't win the Public awards, or  was a finalist in the painting category, your contribution was still worth it. I can gladly say  I as in the top 10 ( unofficially)for the highest number of votes when it was tallied :)

Votes for me?

Hey guys this an update to inform you I've entered an online competition( at short notice) called the New Art Awards at the internet site www.temporarygallery.com.au.

Technically the competition earlier this year April and I had no clue about it till  three days ago. There is technically only three five days left for the votes to be tallied. But doesn't mean its too late to give votes to me and the others.  just click here and please "like" it. :P

And to those who have voted for me , thank you so much :). It means a lot to me as an amateur artist.
So right now, other then campaigning as though I want to be the next prime minister- preferably not- I've just went back to work.. things have changed since I had to stop 4-5 months ago, I've finally had the time  started drawing more, and  now trying to learn french- je parle anglais! so yeah, busy busy busy!!!

Also I will be entering into another competition soon and I hope I get in the top 10.  Wish me luck. I'll give you a hint of what I'm going for with this piece of inspiration. Don't worry, as time goes on, more will be reveal under this leafy veil.
Enjoy!!
P.S. Remember to vote if you can.

Is it pretty?

Yesterday, while casually out in city streets I'd encountered a a peculiar scene. An elderly woman standing in a corner, at the place where the train station was linked to Myer . She was holding a can with a dollar coin hole on the top. Dressed in her uniform, she waited  for the donations that may never come. Was it worth it- to stand there everyday holding a can waiting for people to donate. I think  of this every time when I encounter her, at the same place. It makes me wonder whether people can actually see her.  Why? Because we walk past the problem as though we are actually blind. We think it is someone's problem therefore we  we think it has nothing do anything about it. this is termed by Douglas Adams as Somebody Else's Problem ( also known as SEP Effect). This made me think to an image I had seen earlier. Questioning whether who is blind. Society or the blind man. Click on here to see the image for yourself.

Sometimes I wonder whether we are all ugly within. We create a persona or an identity that mask our inhumanity  through our mannerism, make-up, and those layers of muscles. I thought it when I found out there was a Facebook group that highlighted the growing trend that to be beautiful is to be "hot." It is where you would be judged by others  with only just a picture that you send ( which highlights a minuscule part of who you actually  are.) To make it worse was they added humour with captions  such as "lick or brick" and "smash or bash" that pretty much implied a yes or no response , but on a critical level. But to be  honest, I had been expecting sooner of later groups like these would be popping up in social networking sites.  Recently society is becoming rather prejudice towards people with "undesirable" features but not the exactly racial prejudice, but on a overall view.  With new trends evolving and new words such as "bro", mirim" and "jelly"( which are becoming more based on appearance)  it's hard to break out of the trends. But I think its better to understand the trends before being swept away and losing yourself. It is so that when see things that are wrong we know when to stand up. We shouldn't treat ourselves like pieces of meat.  

This is is a drawing I drew of me. It is a self-portrait of what i think looks is me you  look like within. That is my inhumanity, my myself tainted in an ocean of sins. Do you think its pretty, or do you think the drawing is pretty?

I used Art-line pen and diluted ink on A4 paper

"We" and the buildings.

Have you ever wondered how does a building feel when we're gone? Lonely I presume. We humans love our buildings. We build them,clean them and find ways to make them more majestic. In return they provide us with shelter, a home which protects us from the  heat of the sun, and the cold of the ice. Literally, we grow up in buildings.  They are like  our second parents whose role is to protect us from Mother-Nature. Without buildings we would be nothing- we would die much sooner without them.  In saying that our civilisation would of not exist. But  this also means buildings can't live without us. Yes, they need us as well as much as we need them! They need us to build them and the brains to even get it off the ground. So it makes me wonder- who came first, human civilisation or buildings? It's a bit like the chicken and the egg scenario. Nonetheless all I know is if we all to disappear, buildings will be lonely. Think about it. Have you ever walked into a what would-be a busy urban area that is quiet? Yes -it can be intimidating. Already  you feel like your alone, watched by something- a force that is peering someone in many thousands of glassy-eyes.  And imagine yourself not being there. That place would be  even more quiet. 

Without our presence they merely scars or  - sculptural reminders that epitomises man-kind control over nature( and I don't think Mother-Nature would like to have them around for  long once we're gone). Without us buildings  are vulnerable.   They will  corrode, their windows will shatter and eventually collapse as they are too old o carry on. it is like us at the end of s great age. we gotta let go. 

Today, i got inspired by the drawings I made using my leisure time- aka Free-time. 

So here are some drawings of buildings. I only used an artline pen( 0.4mm), a  brush, some water, blue highlighter ink, and pencil for guidelines on paper. I painted based on my mind, didn't had much reference point. I've tried to draw from different angles- to get the feel and texture. 

I find the patterns of buildings so fascinating. The way it is so structured, precise and same as to each floor. It makes me wonder if it is  exactly  precise in reality.These patterns I see are connects with other buildings. Its like forming into one giant building.  The windows make me wonder especially at night how many people there are and the fact many windows are all different stories. 

Techniques i've employed is hatching then picking up excess ink with water and spread it onto areas where it needs to be shaded in. I also attempted to dilute the blue highlighter ink by adding onto paper, then mix it with water before transferring onto the windows. I was trying to produce a subtle transparent blue to imitate the blue skies.

Back in the days...

So yesterday I have finally completed my WACE exams and I'm finally relieved to have been able to sleep without the fear of an upcoming test, exam, assessment, to wake up 4am to finish assignments or freak out that fact I will be late. And yeah I do have a lot of debt to be paid back I've  finally got the chance to do things that I wanted to do for so long and have already made a list- I'll share some later in another blog-post  Today in the mail today, and what in was my last letter from my school( I hope) which contain my "time capsule letters" that I had written  back in the days when  I was small and innocent- who was about to discover the life of a teenage life. 

These letters has a nostalgia over me; I remember things that I had forgotten nearly 5 years ago! What has shocked me is how much I've change and so  I can't believe these  were written by me. I've definitely gained weight, wear larger clothes size, I'm now 17, and my handwriting now highly cursive - all thanks to puberty!! ^^ 

 This is like a historical document because judging by the font of the text and the pictures, I can confidently say this is obviously from a 2003 MS format. Clearly indicates  of a rapid technological revolution that is re-defining our way of life. And i have a feeling it has just begun.

Boy, was I excited back then- to able to meet new people , cultures  and friends. I had a blast, well most of the time.  So now I'm thinking; the fact that those feelings of entering into a larger realm( high-school) is similar to what I'm feeling right now as I'm heading out towards the abyss ( the real life) . It makes me wonder as I question whether  history will repeat itself. Will I later on hate life just as the life of high-school? Or will it be different- I will continue to love entirely and seemingly like a flawless dream . If I say "No"  then I am naive- life is meant to be difficult.  Or will I say yes and let it happen- even though i know that path is not pretty? It makes me wonder both out of curiosity and fear.  time will tell as I will soon head for Uni.

Interesting to note is how terrible I was with my written expression. the word "see" brings me back to memories of when i kept using it because I did not had a clue there was other words with similar definition. . I guess I was forced to find them( otherwise i would fail).  Now it was required to use words other than "seen". There's perspective, observation, viewpoints, distinguish, direct and notice just to get by in test and examinations. But hey I don't mind; communication is essential for  to connect with our past, present and future. communication is what links time and space together. So now, until next time :)

This week so far....

So this week was the start of the  WACE exams, and already completed three of my five exams. I just can't wait till it is over( and i know I'm not the only one with that in mind).  This week somewhat what i imagine- a living nightmare. it's  mainly from the aftermath of the exams- yep', to see my face afterwards would make your day..... then there are the moments of getting to and from the exams( because all mine  are held externally) . I swear every time I went there something happens to me that is out of context.....first there was the process of listening to not ravens or corws, but native birds crying out. second was the round about- it re-defined what traffic meant for me. And thirdly discovering that the cafeteria sells fried chips( that i thought was extinct) YUM!!!!!

the place at first was intimidating because i never been there and I  didn't exactly  know where the place was.  So I googled mapped it- and spent 27 minutes trying to memorise the roads and the surroundings which was frustrating to manoeuvre around  in the map.  

Lately I have been eating a lot of sugary foods- fanta, sweets, cookies and fruits- which has been giving me the consequences of the sugary highs and lows. So I'm planning to stop tomorrow and eat savouries to balance it out. Got to otherwise I might faint if it hits to the extreme points,or so I heard!! and that reminds me. this week has marked the end for biology, Modern History and English. it's good to get rid of these diabolical subjects. 

Currently the flies are back- already I have killed 14 and they seem to be no end to them. The good news is my kill rate is higher than before- so watch out flies!!!! Also I managed to get back my artwork from school. So happy and posted underneath is my final production. It got me top marks!!!!

"Following the Journey of Human Creativity" - by Jacky Le
Mixed media on wood panel

" My work reflects the expanding creativity that has lead to the technological evolution of our  civilisation.  Inspired by the fact technology was inspired from one's  creativity, I want to show the dynamic cultural significance that creativity has given to people. This is expressed by the octopus in I used it as an analogy for our dynamism in ideas which started from rock paintings.  Using symbolism, i want to  convey the causes , the ways it impacts of y and the possibilities of creativity   on our civilisation in a positive means. I purposely retain the wooden textures of my support to suggest there is more room for creativity to grow. "

Underneath the layers of ink and paint, there is of course another story; the process of construction the art. There were times this work was a BITCH!!!!. Not only had time constraints but also just filling in other facets of human journey and composing in the right place to have balance, harmony so it doesn't conflict with the message. and then I had to consider the viscosity of the medium. too heavy and the ink or paint would be too intense and almost impossible to get rid of. Too thin and the water would eventually cause the wood to expand, twist and bend.  It's not finish( even though i said it was) which I will later on fix up and perhaps enter in some competition.

 Hope you like it, Now i just need to complete two more exams , then I'm done, forever!!! Good luck to WACE people( those who are still finishing theirs) and I'll post soon. 

Halloween? This time not for me

Pumpkin Patch
by catch---2
I used this image to conceptualise the Halloween spirit- the atmosphere conveyed by the autumn and the feeling of the the contrasting cold  nights. 

So what exactly is halloween?

Halloween is an annual holiday tradition where people come out, dress up like some demoic creature of their choice- whether it be ghost, zombie, or vampire- and go around to parties, trick-or-treat , carve fanatical pumpkins and watch horror films. This annual tradition is held on the 31st of October( which is tomorrow.) Unfortunately this year I won’t be participating these activities other than the fact I’m gonna have to sit in a exam in the morning and then study for next one- straight afterwards. I guess you can say that is in itself a  scary thought. 

Right now I’m kind of hating halloween this year- the fact I  will have to answer the door  to the kids who are trick-or-treating while I’m studying.  And what’s worse is  the egg throwing. I despise egg throwers. They are like weeds in a garden. This is because when the egg dries up  it forms a layer- which is somewhat insoluble to the water. I think its due to the fat molecules, and the proteins binding  them into a cohesive layer( yes I have been studying chem). So really it's hard to clean up, particularly on the walls of your house. 

But like all cranky people, if I get egged I will be throwing my own batch  and probably  chase after them. That is if I’m stuck at home. I’m planning to go to the library- so I don’t get distracted. So yeah planning ahead. 

Even though I currently sound pessimistic its just that my Exams are at stake and I need to get into Uni. So yeah you can say I’m a little be nervous.. But I'll tell you this, I love halloween when it doesn’t clash with anything that is in stake. I can be creative. the most creative moment for halloween was when I  had carved a Jack-o-Lantern using a lemon. This was because pumpkins are hard to come by( as the seasons are different from the north.)But hey like they say: If the world gives you lemons, make lemonade.  It turned out alright- I was pleased. The only difference from the real thing was it was yellow. But I was still PROUD!!!! Besides, pumpkins were  substituted from turnips. Yes- the turnips were first used before the pumpkins came in.  This occured in england and Scotland. Later, it was discovered in North America pumpkins were a lot easier to carve then the turnips. I guess size does matter on this occasion....( ok awkward)

So for me this year, no Happy Halloween for me . But hey I hope you guys do have one yourself. Now I must go and study more. 

(NB: used this as an english study session)