The Waiting Game

14" by 18"
Oil on canvas
2015

It's 2016! To start off the new year, here's a painting that I completed a while back. One of the larger works I've done, it shows a Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea) by the edge of a reservoir, waiting motionlessly for its prey while the day warms up around it. The heron has an unbreakable patience and focus; it's survival depends on it. When it hunts, everything balances on a single moment, an opportunity to strike. While the heron plays the waiting game, the sky is restless, with clouds stretching, curling and vanishing. A hunting heron will not and must not look around at the scenery that is full of life - but a full heron may.

I took around one-and-a-half months to finish this one. To get a better idea on how to create the landscape, I visited some of the wetlands in the North of Singapore, which helped show me what types of plants to paint too. Anyway, there it is. Hope you like it!

A Little Bit of Scandinavia

I am back in the business!! The first painting I have done in
an entire year has been completed. This time, instead of 
having a local subject, I decided to paint a Scandinavian bird:
the Bohemian Waxwing, on a twig of Eurasian Rowan.

The waxwing has the most magnificent soft and nearly
un-feather like plumage, coloured by muted greys and orange.
The bird is actually named after the red waxy protruding 
feather shafts on each wing. This is my painting set up - no 
nonsense, just paint, brushes, a canvas and a palette (usually 
half of a styrofoam box that used to contain chicken rice).

Here are some progress shots. I often do the plant or perch the first.
Then I'll tackle the bird. The snow was done more than a week later 
when everything underneath is completely dry.

Before any of that went onto the canvas, I painted a background
in acrylics with a sponge roller. I also did a rough painting in 
Photoshop to set a blueprint of how the composition and colours 
would turn out in the actual artwork.





















There you have it - the Bohemian Waxwing on Eurasian Rowan,
and a peek into my painting process. ;)

Aristolochia Tagala and the Common Birdwing

I'm back with my latest painting, which features a vine

called aristolochia tagala and it features the common

birdwing ( troides helena ).

The common birdwing is the second largest

butterfly in Singapore and the females easily take

on a wingspan of 180 mm. It is a CITES protected

butterfly, as all other troides species. In Singapore it

is uncommon but always stays around its hostplant,

aristolochia acuminita , but may also use a. tagala.

The painting is in oils on a 11 by 14 inch canvas and all

the elements are life sized.

the End.

Long-Tailed Broadbill

Ah, I am finally back with my latest painting,
featuring a long tailed broadbill. This bird, along
with the other broadbills, have disappeared from
S'pore during the period when S'pore was developing.

It is painted with the tree syzygium zeylancium. It
has lovely white flowers, and two of these can be found
near the visitor centre of BTNR. That is the reason
I chose this tree. I complemented the painting with a
little butterfly, called the glistening caerulean, jamides
elpis pseudelpis. The jamides butterflies do drink from
syzygium flowers, and their uppersides are of a spectacular
blue. I just put a flash of it here as they do not often
open their wings.

Hope you like it.
Please comment.

Ring of Rose

Okay! Here is my latest painting. It is called

" Ring of Rose ". It features the rose ringed

parakeet, a parrot that often visits my school.

These lovely parakeets are not as widespread

as the long tailed parakeets, and are not as well

described.

Hope u like it.

Pitta Song

Whoo! Another painting post. I completed it like
three weeks ago, but since I used oils, it took a
while to dry. It is called "Pitta Song", and features
the blue winged pitta.

The pittas can be seen in both parks and nature
reserve areas.

Um, hope you like it!

Common bluebottle (Graphium sarpedon luctatius)

I just completed my latest painting, of two male common bluebottles
puddling at a sandy area. If you ever try painting a good bluebottle,
you will realise it's no easy task. Anyway, here it is.

I hope you think it's nice, so please do comment!

Oh, I haven't forgotten, so has anyone been eating avocados?

Eat your Avocados

Just completed my latest artwork. It's called:
Eat your Avocados.
It is of a rare resplendent quetzal gobbling up a small
type of avocado. Come on! If the beautiful quetzel
likes avocados, then why not EAT YOUR AVOCADOS!

Yumm!

Please comment and eat your a..............

Bali Mynas

For an art project, I was told to draw something in
relation to Bali. So, I drew a pair of Bali mynas.
Bali mynas are critically endangered and less than
60 wild birds survive.

close-up of head.

Please comment!

Bird Paintings

Here's some of my recent bird paintings:


A Pair Of Black Naped Orioles

Little King-king bird of paradise

At First Light-black sicklebill

Magnificent Love-magnificent bird of paradise

Count Raggi's-raggiana bird of paradise

Marvelous Hummer-marvelous spatuletail

Golden Bower-golden bowerbird & its bower

So! Enjoy! Please comment on the paintings
in the Cbox or the comment button.

NYPS Pictures

Butterfly Paintings

I enjoy painting as much as photography,
as it is very similar. Here are some of my recent

butterfly paintings.

Singapore Zoo - Fragile Forest ( part 2 )

Sorry I only showed you one image from the Fragile Forest, here are some more pictures that I

call ' masterpieces '.