maysw: 2011

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Hand(y)bags

Having lagged behind a fair wee while, I thought I may as well write about my days/stint in England where I found a little love in creating these miniature drawstring bags.

The Bernina had struck again. She's a legend. And I miss her whilst being in the Asian continent. If only!

A mix of two themes of fabric (on the most part) coupled with a bold satin ribbon and touching it up nicely with a small motif - personalised or not [please note that some of these motifs are somewhat scruffy]. Most friends/family who are lucky enough (if I don't mind saying so myself) to have received one have considered using these to stores underwear, shoes, travel. I, myself, use the bags for travel storing clothing of all sorts, underwear, plug sockets, make-up...an ongoing list.

Easily identified, bright, fruitful and utmost handy(bags). Yeeha.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Viet Van Tho

Apologies for delivering such a scattered blog, but as spontaneous and disorganised as I am in everyday life, it gets reflected on here. Thanks for staying tuned in.

Of my 7 weeks here so far, Hanoi's swept me in nicely and quaintly. I've felt the weather changes, had my head deep in the books, strutted myself infront of a very appreciative bunch of Vietnamese students, woven through day to day traffic - still praying for my life on every ocassion, eaten a mass amount of decent food and in contrary have eaten a fair amount of mediocre (bordering rancid) foods, I've craved nourishing pies/mum's homemade dishes/and a well-earned English breakkie. I've been overcharged and undercharged and have given and received an abundance of hearty-warm smiles. Amongst these hectic notions, I've swiftly meandered the streets of Hanoi namely in and around the Old Quarter - the area which boasts the traditions and architectures of little old Hanoi i.e. the icing of the Hanoi cake.

On my choppy gallivants around the Old Quarter, I've stumbled upon many-a-many art galleries - some are cool, some not so cool. These are small galleries (or shops!) which are easily accessible and house paintings of local Vietnamese artists.. I've been drawn in once again by only a selected few artists/styles. I'll first subject you to..

Van Tho This Hanoi University of Fine Art educated artist is an old timer and is fairly prominent in Hanoi. I like how they describe the social realist artist - Van Tho as a combination of three notorious artists wrapped into one.
- Van Gogh - Matisse - Picasso. My, my..lucky Van

[Though is it an advantage to be akin to such great artists? Or do we suggest that being unique and wholesomely new hones a better value? Art is arguably a form of inspiration afterall].

So why do I vouch for Van Tho so much? Well, he draws up facial portraits for a start whilst also managing to capture characteristics of his subject. The thick paint usage lays poised on the canvas with a bold attitude, sleek; in its colourful palette of goodness. Scrap the paintbrushes, this man Van uses a trowel! Van's paintings flow with sharp but contrastingly soft corners. This man has a consistent obtuse style that fails to tire me. On the whole, I think in his 70+ years of age, he's not doing too badly for a modern artist. A defiant winner.

Monday, December 5, 2011

..and this is why I'm in Hanoi

…amongst many other reasons.

Having traipsed through Vietnam (Việt Nam) rather aimlessly in 2009, I gave a spare two years of monolithic thought into returning to latch onto those gleeful days. And now here I am drawn almost magnetically back to Hanoi (Hà Nội) – the discrete capital of the country embellished in the South-East Asian peninsula that is so skillfully sandwiched between three varying countries and two majestic seas; one of which is highly disputed at this minute in time.

The north is where I be. The north is where I shall choose to teach English as a foreign language. And why the north and not the south some may mutter..

Hanoi breeds authenticity, tradition with its calm courageously-armoured-surrounding subdued in a cooler comforting climate. So this is partially why I am back in here in Hanoi. A valid partial reason. Note: the cooler climate doesn’t necessarily mean it’s less polluted. No way. No way josé.

Chiefly however, I am here on some other (self-)meaningful agenda. From the complexities of my vague desires, an interest I dig at with lengthy concerns.

Hill-tribes, ethnic minorities, the indigenous.

I’m a huge fan of mountainous living. I realised this consoling thought whilst on my adventures in numerous segments of the world. Though, Vietnam has been the chosen one. If you’ve seen the length of Vietnam, you will see that Hanoi is neatly located in close range to the mountainous zones. Within these mountainous zones there lay a plentiful amount of ethnic minorities. Hill-tribes. I admire these groups of individuals who stem to live this way and live so peacefully and ordinarily amongst nature. Myself, being accustomed to the ‘modern’ lifestyle of living could not quite hack this way of life, in comparison to the naturals themselves – all very much related to our nature and nurture of course. That be a different story altogether.

Although I’m now located in a very boisterous city, it seems as though I have the opportunity to escape to discover these tribes even further – the best of both worlds.

So, what I’ll hope to progress knowledge in is the lifestyles of these hill-tribes. This branches out to various playing fields..their aims, their history, relationships, living, diets, and so on…but ultimately I’m keen on their textiles & adorned jewellery. Now this is where I lay my eggs. This being their key symbol of differentiation. Oh, and how it excites me.

Whilst in Hanoi this time round, I took a couple of hours out, reversed some thoughts and reflected on these tribes made up in Vietnam. A visit to The Museum of Ethnology. Here I discovered that Vietnam consists of 54 ethnic groups. Gee whizz. The photos scattered on this post give a general idea of the textiles and pieces I’m lured by. Textiles: The fabric, cut, the colours, the details…how it’s produced. From its birth to its wear..
Jewellery: The design, making, the materials, the shapes..
I’m intrigued.

With 54 ("that's my number, that's my number" - Toots & the Maytals) ethnic groups in mind, follow me on my ongoing discovery…chaooooooooo.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Señor Salvador Dalí

Endearing.
Courageous.
Colourful.
Flexible.
Bold.
DYNAMIC.

These are only a slight few words which describe the maestro himself: Señor Salvador Dalí. Mind stretching work, pre-visiting I had always envisaged Dalí as the surrealist painter he was; with one distinct image only. Little did I know how his talent stretched, which really does quietly display my lack of art knowledge.

Whilst on a short but very valued trip to Barcelona, a stop in the neighbouring town of Figueres was encountered. Shocked, bewildered and inspired were the emotions inflicted during the visit, for this town of Figueres is where the Dalí Theatre and Museum (in Catalan language: Teatre-Museu Dalí) is housed. And that, where Dalí himself lived.

Dalí's museum was as abstract as one could imagine - I'm intrigued as to how his mind worked. Energised, flamboyant and admiring the fruits of 200%+ of his labour, it set my blood running. If time was no object, I'd joyously roam around here all day. My third eye didn't stop snapping. If I could post his entire collection onto this blog, I would..though after careful culled selection, I've posted a few of his pieces that really gripped my attention. Have a gander at some of these pieces for he's my hero.

You clever man, Dalí.

Friday, October 28, 2011

What's cookin' ?

With that crafty desire trapped within, I could not resist creating a '60's vintage' style apron for my great chum's birthday - who enjoys to tamper with the hob and oven every so often. I decided on using two contrasting colours, fuscia pink and lime green, and and opted for a floral fabric as that now seems to be (or have been) the rage so far.

Not only is it feminine, poignant and cute, I decided on personalising the pocket area. The frills need working on, but hey-ho, it was a fun (attempted) make and don't we just love the modelled pose?!

Sketchy

Charcoal and chalk. Never have I been massively fond of these materials. However, thoughts may change and having attended some drop-in drawing lessons at the National Portrait Gallery in London I discovered the intricacy and delicacy of using such pigments itself. Again, I've focused on facial objects (not so much my choice as sculptures were the main objects in place).

These are a selection of some portraits that were put into practise. White chalk on black paper - though initially slightly difficult in obtaining the correct shades, I realised the strokes of white can exude power in the portrait. I hope you are able to depict the portrait detail..meanwhile, with optimism in place - practise is gonna make perfect.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Paint to Meditate

Colours ignite me. Painting calms me. My left hand eagerly awaits to paint and I haven't done so in a while. I'm not a painter as you can depict from my amateur paintings which I composed in the past in my rare-but-spare time. Whilst I am partial to glorious scenery and inanimate objects, I am much more keen on human facial portraits.

As mentioned above, painting calms me. However, in light of this, I am all too often a confusing character as I generally paint quite quickly. Perhaps far too quickly. I have heard the odd whimper here and there that I must slow down, focus, and per-fect my 'pieces'.

I'm not sure if there is such a form of 'proper' painting. And if there is, I am certainly not one to follow the rules. Firstly, I never outline my paintings first (in pencil) - personally I think this is cheating? For me, it's just paintbrush/paint directly to paper/canvas and then here it begins. Trial and error. I allow my hand and mind to do the talking. Spontaneity? Probably. Disorganised? Most likely. Impatient? Yes.

There is something magical about the moment the paintbrush meets the paint, combines, mixes the colours, creating shades, the freedom to do so, the texture, the volume, the smell, the smooth sound and when that drowned brush unleashes itself onto canvas in a rhythmic way. That is a masterpiece in itself. The rhythm. Now we're talking.

Colours - I heavily vouch for colour. Without colour where would I be now? Where would we be now? I am without a doubt all in for colour, pigments, shades and that's just what these paintings need. Whilst painting, I attempt to observe deeply into the object's colour and the shape. Without sounding like a mad lady at hand or as a pretentious fool, it does excite me. Proportions need working on, but I settle for shape.

I'm learning. It's experimental. I'm enjoying. I'm needing to find time (to paint). Totally understood if you frown upon my lack of paintings as I really am no pro. Note that these small pieces were (mainly) painted as gifts to the 'object' in place.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

S(m)ashing!

Getting crafty and adventurous, I make these at top speed once I put my mind to it.

* Name an occasion
* Give me a name, title or saying
* I come up with something quirky (or you can)
* You agree?
* And I'll be pleased to embroider this onto a colourful ribboned satin sash..
* ..acquainted and adorned with special jewels or buttons
* Ta daaaa!

How it developed
The task was to organise a 'Baby Shower' a couple of months ago. Rather than going for the easy option of buying a sash for mother-to-be, I much prefer unique things that hone more sentimentality than mass-produced items! Thus, endorsing that rampant creative streak and having the resources to do so, I opted for creating my very own unique blend.

i. So here we have (to our right hand side), for my sister Leesan (aka mother-to-be), a sash, with the word(s): Mother Lee, a slight spin on Motherly. Do we comprende?

ii. Secondly - and lastly, for now - as featured below, we have a Hen (aka bride-to-be) who is often nicknamed as 'Little', thus the name 'Mrs Little Hen' was induced.

Quirky, courageous but light and generally fun with some obvious individuality. You can't go wrong here. A special keepsake for that special person and for you too! And once again, I adore making these. S(m)ashing!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Newborn supplies

Arrival of my new adorable nephew Caiden Poon has led to an exploration in creating a new little artefact. Making use of my stunning, boast-worthy, and not to mention - trusty, Bernina sewing machine aids the process of this. (Note: the Bernina is a bloody awesome killer sewing machine. Not for the faint-hearted but for the one that requires quality, strength and simplicity - that's me!).

These artefacts be 'Nursing Covers', for newborn babies and mothers. I'm not one for having a maternal streak, not now, at this point in my young life anyhow. Though you can see how effective this item can be, especially for a shy (embarrassingly exposed) and/or considerate mother. How these Nursing Covers can benefit both baby, mother and the rest of the world, is that they shield the most fundamental task in any new mother's upbringing of their little-un; breastfeeding!

I've made these nifty Nursing Covers using a range of colours/styles of fabrics. From one block colour to floral patterns. Personally I prefer the colourful, however, you are entitled to judge for yourself which you may prefer. I've also incorporated two inner pockets for mother to pocket little objects into. They do look a mess, though I feel their advantageous aspects; adjustable, light, airy and safe, counteracts the messiness they exude. Please have a gander at a selected sample with a kind & loving heart.

It really does amaze me how meditative and achieving I find sewing to be. However simple the task is, t'is indeed a gem and a joy, and I look forward to excite you to further lengths by taking you on some other ventures I've experimented and 'tasked' myself with later on. Until then, so long.