Category Archives for "Blog"

0 Watercolor painter captured Singaporean history

Lim Cheng Hoe wasn’t a very flashy painter during his life in Singapore — or a very well-known one, at that. But Lim’s contribution to art in Singapore, as well as his faithful and detailed renderings of everyday scenes from the beautiful to the mundane, has marked his place as a key watercolor painter in Singapore’s art scene. A special exhibition of his work will be on display at National Gallery Singapore.

Lim was born in China in the early 1900s, and moved to Singapore when he was still a young child. His first art teacher was so impressed with Lim’s talent and dedication that he urged the boy’s parents to send him abroad to complete his art education. However, Lim’s family couldn’t afford to send him to where he needed to go at the time to receive further guidance and instruction.

Instead, Lim obtained a sensible job and only painted watercolor artworks as a hobby, teaching himself the skills necessary to complete the art pieces he was most interested in. All of them featured the sights of Singapore, captured in vivid color and details prior to the invention of the color film camera. As a result, Lim’s watercolor masterpieces offer rare insights into the colorful past of Singapore as a country, especially since the artist tended to be interested in capturing ordinary people, places, and events.

As a result of Lim’s hobby and passion for watercolor, his painting collection includes memorable landscapes of kampong life and a distinctive painting style that belongs to Lim alone. One watercolor scene of structures on stilts and fishing vessels floating in water has a dreamy, almost surreal or impressionistic effect, the colors blurring into one another and evoking a sense of satisfaction or serenity. Lim also painted construction sites and land reclamation processes as Singapore continued to grow as a powerful young nation. This is valuable record of what might seem to be mundane scenes for paintings. Lim also seemed to make commentary on people’s relationships with their environments, rendering crowded settlements and commerce along peaceful river flows. In another watercolor painting, a river scene seems more industry than nature, boats and waders and bridges and buildings encroaching on the water.

In addition to documenting life and progress in Singapore, Lim was also instrumental in developing the creative community in the nation. He read plenty of educational material on art, associated with other artists, and built groups that helped develop and advance art in the country. By forming and meeting with such groups, artists who participated could receive valuable insights and feedback on the art they were completing, growing as artists in turn. Lim also formed an important watercolor-specific artists’ collective that exists today, carrying out the mission of promoting watercolor art in future artists and appreciation of the craft in fans of other types of art.

Visit SGArtClass.com today to learn more about art and art classes.

To read more about Lim Cheng Hoe’s life and work, go to https://mothership.sg/2018/07/lim-cheng-hoe-national-gallery-exhibition/.

0 Artist uses blossoms as paint, canvas in exhibit

Singaporean artist Keith Lin isn’t like other artists. Instead of canvases and tubes of paint, Lin utilizes flowers and test tubes for his art — at least for his latest installation for the Singapore Garden Festival.

Lin is known around the world as a talented floral artist, winning a recent award for flower arrangements in an international competition. As such, Lin was the only Singaporean designer invited to participate in the recent festival, which brought in talents in floral art from around the globe.

For Lin’s contribution to the festival, a massive installation was designed to dazzle and delight visitors and fans of art. Lin used tens of different flowers native to Singapore and the Netherlands in his design, painstakingly breaking apart the plants and displaying them individually in hundreds of test tubes suspended from the ceiling in a spiraling design.

Understandably, the installation required many hands and many hours of manpower to complete. Each test tube was filled with tiny pebbles to successfully suspend the individual stems of the flower species upright to draw the viewer’s interest. The spiral is arranged by texture and color, drawing the eye up and around. Using different textures and colors in the flower choices showed just how much of an expert and talent Lin is with using flowers as art. From deep purples to yellows, greens, and white, every blossom was cut and selected to contribute to the installation as a whole. String was carefully cut and measured to create a cascading spiral effect of the suspended test tubes.

The overall effect of the floral installation was a marriage between industry and nature. The glass test tubes were sleek and modern, but the pebbles and flowers brought the entire installation back to its natural roots. Some viewers might even interpret the installation as a massive chandelier or ultra modern bouquet of floral love.

Find the art around you, whether it’s in nature or in a museum, by enrolling in an art class via SGArtClass.com. SGArtClass.com brings future art students and teachers together in a wide selection of different classes you can easily browse and enroll in. Whether you enroll in an art class on found art, making masterpieces from items you come across, or a class on oil painting, a traditional art genre, you’re sure to enjoy the process of learning and completing projects. Art offers a number of unexpected benefits for those who practice it. Making art can significantly relieve stress in your life as well as help you develop coping methods for future tough situations. You might also find yourself developing creative problem solving skills that you never had before. The most exciting part of enrolling in an art class via SGArtClass.com is the chance to discover and embrace a passion for art that you might not have otherwise had the opportunity to do without SGArtClass.com.

To read more about the painstaking process of Keith Lin’s artwork, go to https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/floral-art-blossoms.

0 Indian recycled art artist honored in Singapore

India-based artist Manish Nai is an internationally recognized artist whose biggest passion is creating masterpieces from other people’s trash. In this creative genre, called recycled art, artists like Nai gather materials other people have thrown away and recycle them into sculptural, multimedia artworks. Recently, Nai was honored for his artistic achievements by an organization in Singapore, adding to his list of achievements.

Nai, who lives in Mumbai, explores the idea of trash and recycling through his art. Some of his most recent work includes a finely woven net of recyclable material. The thin weave and transparency of the work highlights a sense of the ephemeral. All of the materials Nai uses in the net have been discarded by someone after serving their purpose. And eventually, every person will also cease to exist in their lives in death. It calls into question just what our purpose might be, including whether we achieve it, and what happens to us once we have.

Nai didn’t always use recycled material for his artistic medium. He started his creative career as a painter. But when he painted on particularly fibrous materials, he noticed that he could pick apart the weave and make new and interesting patterns in the material itself, rather than using paint on canvas. He started storing threads that he picked from his canvases, and when he saw the natural shape they took, realized that his art practice was taking on a new natural progression, too — into recycled art instead of painting.

Though Nai’s recycled art is generally sculptural these days — with an upcoming solo show in the Netherlands — he was honored in Singapore for his series on billboards. During an economic recession in India, Nai noticed that many billboards weren’t being updated with new advertising, and the sun and weather was taking its toll on whatever was displayed on the large signs. So he started documenting the process, photographing the multiple billboards and making an artistic series of the results. Though many people assumed that he did digital alterations on the photos, that is not the case. The main artist for the billboard series is the natural elements — Nai simply took the photos.

Some of Nai’s most visceral and visually interesting work is his sculptures made of compressed clothing. He started making small cubes from discarded clothing from his family, then graduated into making larger sculptural works from donated and locally sourced discarded clothing. What could’ve ended up in a landfill or dump is instead repurposed into meaningful and immersive art.

Art can take on all formats — even the most surprising ones, like in recycled art. Visit SGArtClass.com today to learn more about recycled art, found art, assemblage art, and more. You can even enroll in an art class to test your knowledge and resilience in making masterpieces from trash.

To read more about Manish Nai and his work, go to https://www.indiatoday.in/lifestyle/what-s-hot/story/the-art-of-sustainability-this-mumbai-based-artist-makes-art-out-of-waste-1315229-2018-08-16.

0 Legendary artists set to perform at special event

Unique programming with a goal of uniting art lovers across multiple generations is on tap in Singapore in September as a part of the seventh annual Silver Arts festival.

A famous Singaporean singer who is now in her 70s will be one of the performers at this year’s festival. In her heyday, this singer sang many country western songs and was regularly compared to famous American counterparts. Just because she is now beyond retirement age hasn’t slowed her down, though. She says that her only difficulty is the added challenge that hitting high notes now has for her. She recently played a tribute show to another famous classic pop band at the Marina Bay Sands, and plans to perform with her son, the singer of an alternative rock band, as a part of this year’s festival.

Part of the motivation behind this festival is to give artists above a certain age an opportunity to perform again. In that vein, organizers are also hoping to attract older spectators to enjoy such performances. However, there is also the motivation of bringing together multiple generations to appreciate good music no matter what the age of the listener might be. One of the most anticipated performances is a musical performance that includes singers from three different generations. This particular event is symbolic, showing that people of all ages can come together to create art that is meaningful for all generations.

The Silver Arts festival will feature more than simply musical performances. On the docket are dance performances, theater presentations, viewing opportunities for classic movies, art exhibits from local artists of all ages, and much more. There will also be interactive workshops so that participants can engage with the arts, including creative activities, a songwriting session, and a doodling instructional session.

It’s never too late — or too early — to begin exploring the arts. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never really taken part in creative endeavors before — or if your only experience is something like doodling in the margins of the paper while taking notes during classes. No matter what your age or experience level, you can start enjoying, benefiting from, and taking part in art, especially once you visit SGArtClass.com. SGArtClass.com is a comprehensive website that hosts informative articles on art events and artistic genres, discounted art supplies and resources, and a wealth of classes that anyone can easily enroll in. Talented teachers on SGArtClass.com are experienced with working with artists of all ages and abilities, teaching you the skills you need to complete the projects you’re most interested in. Sign up your elderly parents for a relaxing class on watercolor painting or landscape painting and see them light up as they describe their experiences and show their masterpieces to you after they complete the classes.

To read more about the artists who will be performing at the seventh annual Silver Arts festival in Singapore, go to https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/arts/veteran-artists-perform-at-7th-silver-arts-festival.

0 World of Warcraft party, complete with art, held in Singapore

World of Warcraft is a gaming platform enjoyed by many, many fans across the world. The fantasy role playing game is played online, where the fans and players have a chance to interact and excel in a visually lush world. Recently, Singapore hosted a launch party for the game’s latest expansion, designed to draw in new players and excite loyal fans.

The party, which was hosted by a Singapore art venue, entertained hundreds of World of Warcraft fans, drumming up interest for the latest advancements of the game. Snacks and beverages were available, as were photo opportunities with people dressed up like World of Warcraft characters. Another awesome opportunity was a meet and greet with two of the artistic designers of the latest game expansion. Fans in some booths even displayed artwork created specifically for the World of Warcraft universe. One lucky fan was even set to go home with a collector’s statue of a character in the game.

Part of the biggest draw of the launch party was the opportunity to actually play the game in multiple gaming booths. The expansion will feature new adventures, new scenery, and new playable characters. As a part of the launch, the entire game itself will change, including raising a strength limit for every single user across the platform. This means that people stuck in the higher echelons of gameplay will have the opportunity to continue to level up their characters, getting stronger and stronger as they complete the new mission.

The World of Warcraft is an immersive game that offers online adventures and communities in quest- and fighting-based fantasy stories. The characters in the game are memorable and vividly imagined. Customizable characters mean that a variety of combinations are available to personalize the experience for each and every user. Squat, bulky dwarves, mysterious masked knights, hulking beasts, armored warriors, accurate archers, and weapon-toting elves are among the characters users can choose to become through World of Warcraft.

Art can be found wherever you look — in advertising, on product packaging, even in video games. Video game design teams include talented artists who take the game development from start to finish in terms of sketching out characters, settings, and stories, gameplay itself, and other design elements. If you’ve always been interested in art in all its various forms but weren’t sure how to get started on your own creative journey, visit SGArtClass.com today. SGArtClass.com is the easiest website to visit when you’re looking to learn more about art. Whether you’re interested in comic drawing or portrait painting, 3-D sculpture or digital art, there is sure to be an art class available for enrollment that will pique your creative curiosity and nudge you down the path to creating more of your own original masterpieces.

To read more about the festivities for the World of Warcraft expansion in Singapore, go to https://sea.ign.com/world-of-warcraft-battle-for-azeroth/139711/news/blizzard-held-a-pre-launch-party-for-world-of-warcraft-in-si.

0 Artist’s versatile creations win Singapore design award

Hans Tan is a talented industrial designer whose work is exhibited around the world and treasured in private collections. The Singaporean designer recently added yet another prestigious accolade to his resume, and sat down with an interviewer from a publication to talk about his life, work, and vision for Singapore’s design world.

Tan said that he wasn’t a talented artist when he was growing up, but that he was adept at mathematical applications. It wasn’t until college that he even knew industrial design was an option for studying, and that was only a chance encounter with an informative flier. Tan began to excel in his coursework in industrial design, especially thriving during his design classes. He furthered his education in Europe, but returned to Singapore afterward to take part in the nation’s burgeoning arts scene. For the first few years of trying to make a living as a designer, Tan suffered financially, and had to make sacrifices. But his understanding for design grew, and he was rich in experiences and creative energy.

Now, Tan has his own design studio and a career studded with awards and honors. His award-winning designs can be seen in museums and galleries around Singapore, as well as international facilities. He is also a teacher, imparting his wisdom and knowledge about design to a new generation of future designers.

For Tan, Singaporean design is any item created by a Singaporean designer. However, he believes that the future is bright and ripe for the definition of true Singaporean design. Designers in Singapore are contributing to that aesthetic and idea with every item they visualize or complete, and the conversation about artistic design continues to develop.

Tan said his greatest hope for Singaporean designers is for design not to be seen as primarily commercial. During his studies abroad, Tan said that he saw design treated more as an art form than something simply to sell. However, appreciation for design in Singapore has grown over the last decade or so, and Tan said he hopes that more and more people will come to appreciate design as the legitimate art genre that it is. Ideally, there could be a design museum in Singapore, or more displays of what design actually means instead of straight fine art or murals around the city.

Visit SGArtClass.com today to see all the artistic offerings you can engage in. From 3-D sculpture to mural painting, graffiti painting to recycled art, portrait painting to caricature drawing, there is truly a class for everyone on SGArtClass.com. Experienced teachers will work around your busy schedule, meeting you at a time and place that is most convenient for you. You can also choose to take online-only courses, meaning you can pause and play your lessons whenever you need to — perfect for busy people who still want to learn and benefit from art and creative instruction.

To read more about Hans Tan’s work, life, and awards, go to https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/lifestyle/weekend-interview/hans-tan.

0 Singaporean creatives among collection of talented Asian Instagram presences

For many artists, social media mogul Instagram is an excellent way to showcase their talent and highlight their accomplishments. Instagram also functions as a creative community and even as an incubator — a place for ideas to ferment and grow. Many creative types can derive inspiration for their own art by following talented artists on Instagram. One publication recently compiled a list of the most creative Asian artists on Instagram, and several are from Singapore.

One artist born in Malaysia creates vivid and memorable embroidery art of Asian women. What’s notable about these needle and thread portraits are that long strands of thread are left loose and hanging over the fabric, creating visual interest and movement. These strands represent the long hair of the figures the artist has created.

Another artist in South Korea uses bodies as her canvas. This talented makeup artist uses her Instagram account to focus on her mind-blowing work, using interesting photography and scene framing for memorable shots and posts. The viewer will have trouble believing what’s real and what’s just paint or makeup on a body.

An artist born in Singapore is another talented embroiderer, using her talents in fiber arts to illustrate patterns and much more. Recently, her designs were included in a book on fashion, adding an almost tactile experience to the project.

An extremely talented creative from Nepal is an experienced street and mural artist whose work has been commissioned around the world. This artist is passionate about incorporating her language in written visuals on large buildings and walls. She has also been instrumental in community improvement projects, helping to open museums in her country.

Another Singaporean artist uses watercolor paint to render miniature houses, plants, and other figures and structures in painstaking detail. One of his works featured on his Instagram account features a whimsical house with a pink blossoming tree sprouting from the top. The artist also offers prints for sale.

An artist living in India uses his Instagram account as his own personal art gallery, posting pictures of his digital art to his page. The effect is arresting, especially with the dizzying patterns and stark minimalism displayed in his personal style. In one post, black and white vertical lines are only stopped by the black and white umbrella of a woman dressed in red and positioned at the bottom of the canvas.

A photographer from China operates behind a veil of anonymity, showcasing visually arresting scenes from cities both in Asia and from all around the world. In one post, a lone woman climbs down one set of dozens of different pyramid-shaped staircases.

Instagram is just one place you can visit online to pique your artistic curiosity. Visit SGArtClass.com today to browse informative art articles, purchase discounted supplies for your next project, and enroll in art classes that will help take your creative skills to the next level.

To read more about the creative Instagram accounts of the Asian artists, go to https://sg.asiatatler.com/life/10-asian-artists-on-instagram-for-daily-design-inspiration.

0 Seven murals to inspire street art aficionados

With the Singapore art scene booming in recent years, there are a number of museums and galleries fans of the art world can visit to see wonderful masterpieces. However, Singapore is home to lovely, historically rich, and visually beautiful murals. These examples of public art dot the landscape throughout the city, and it’s free to view them and interact with them. The trick is knowing where all the best murals might be found. Recently, a publication recommended seven of the top murals in Singapore.

In one mural, viewers can actually participate in the immersive painting. The work of public art features a child consulting with a librarian. Viewers can read the titles of actual books lining the doors that open up to the inner sanctum of the library, all of which is rendered in realistic detail. But once the doors are closed, the scene changes, showing an adult and child about to enter the library together.

Another mural is a work in progress in the historically significant Little India neighborhood of Singapore. New murals are commissioned every year as a part of the popular art walk events, and many of them pay tribute to the vibrant history of the area. One such mural commemorates some of the most memorable buildings and street scenes of the neighborhood, culminating in a colorful take on history.

One mural even brightens the walking path along a bridge beneath the river. The creative minds behind the mural are part of an art collective that is also a nonprofit organization. The mural itself includes bright renderings of animals and scenes from nature, reflecting the natural scene of the river the bridge crosses.

In a special center that honors and cares for the elderly population in Singapore, the colorful murals there offer special and meaningful windows for the past. Viewers of these murals are seeing the Singapore of yore — the way neighborhoods used to be prior to the modernization of the country. It’s easy for older citizens to immerse themselves in memories through these unique renderings of the past.

Murals even beautify normally plain walls of housing blocks. Nearly a decade ago, a special arts initiative gathered volunteers and armed them with paint and brushes to create humorous and memorable scenes of Singapore’s past. The resulting mural is a playful doodle about kampong life.

The last mural features the smiling face of an older woman, reminding art fans that art is all about people.

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Another mural pays tribute to coffee roasting and brewing and simply begs for viewers to participate with it. The highly realistic scene is set inside a kitchen, a man pouring a steaming cup of coffee while more brews and beans are roasting. The scene is true to life, meaning people can stand in front of it and immerse themselves.

To read more about murals and public art in Singapore, as well as to see a slideshow of the seven murals, go to https://weekender.com.sg/w/explore-singapore/7-places-to-see-local-street-art-that-tells-of-singapores-past/.

0 Art school wants to increase access for low income kids

One art school in Singapore is focusing on efforts to make art education much more accessible for students who might not have enough money or other resources to make a future in art feasible.

The flagship program is aimed at identifying children with untapped artistic talent and allowing them to seek out educational opportunities that might have been out of reach. The award is rendered in a cash payout of a couple thousand dollars, which can cover class costs, transportation, materials, and more. As a part of the program, the newly admitted art students have access to mentorships under current students of the program, meaning that they have a readily accessible pipeline of wisdom and guidance. In the first iteration of this program and award, just over half of the students who applied were accepted. The art school hopes to increase visibility for the program in the future.

This new effort is on trend with other increases in parents seeking extracurricular art education for their students. Younger children who exhibit talent and interest in the arts are more and more taking outside of school classes to boost their talent with the goal of using the skills they develop to earn good placement in secondary schools.

The art school that is offering the program to draw in talented students from lower income families is marking its tenth anniversary and unleashing a slew of new programs to benefit Singapore. Other efforts are aimed at increasing arts access to students with special needs, the elderly population of Singapore, and those coming from disadvantaged families.

Access to the arts is important no matter what background an individual comes from. Exposure to the arts from an early age broadens the minds of young students and allows them new avenues for expressing themselves. If young students do not have the ability to pursue art education, they may never tap the creative talent that lays hidden within. Art offers a wealth of benefits for students both young and old. Young students increase their physical dexterity and emotional maturity through art. Elderly students who practice art can see their stress levels falling and their memories improving.

Visit SGArtClass.com today to experience a fully comprehensive art website full of resources for both professional artists and those curious about exploring more of what the creative world has to offer them. Browse a wide variety of art articles that teach you about all the different art genres available. Shop a large selection of highly affordable art supplies so that you can complete your next creative project with the best possible materials. Scroll through our endless offerings of art classes you can easily enroll in — from acrylic painting to comic drawing and everything in between. No matter how young or old you are, there is an art class waiting for you.

To read more about the art education opportunities for low-income students in Singapore, go to https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/education/school-of-the-arts-to-help-poorer-children-with-enrichment-programmes.

0 Patriotic creatives making Singapore tribute videos online

Singapore’s National Day always inspires an outpouring of musical tributes from musically inclined patriotic individuals. This year is no difference, and one media outlet has compiled a collection of some of this year’s best for people to view online.

One a cappella group composed of Chinese nationals recorded themselves singing a mixture of popular Tamil songs — in carefully pronounced Tamil. Members of the musical group practiced the pronunciation of the words with friends who did speak Tamil to ensure they got it right. Since posting the tribute, the video has garnered thousands of reactions on Facebook.

Another popular a cappella group, who are being spotlighted this year as part of Singapore’s National Day festivities, took second place in a recent regional music competition. They have also spent many hours putting together a mixture of songs, but these songs are special in that they date back to the 1960s National Day celebrations. The historic mashup of songs is performed in Singapore’s four official languages, making it an even more unique tribute to the nation.

Another musical theater group is taking a historical approach to the tribute video, wearing bright clothes reminiscent of the 1960s while singing and touring major sites around Singapore — as well as sites that make the nation what it is and contribute to the country’s distinct personality.

Yet another video is purely instrumental, and features an orchestral performance of a song composed for and made popular by National Day celebrations throughout Singapore’s history. But the performance puts an added twist on the rendition by incorporating Chinese orchestral elements into the original melody. The performance is accompanied by a beautiful video featuring flyover images of important Singaporean sites.

A group of young and diverse Singaporeans remade another popular National Day song that is actually older than many of them. The song itself takes on renewed meaning in current events as one of the main arrangers asks for Singaporeans to find the strength to change as time progresses.

Another video features a Singaporean government official — along with a collection of musical friends. The group, all of whom play ukuleles, perform a rendition of another classic National Day song, saying that the timeless performance is aimed at expressing their appreciation of Singapore.

One last video is a compilation of a cheer competition among school children, members of the military, and regular citizens. See who cheers the loudest for Singapore.

Music is one branch of creativity in the art world, and art is a fabulous way to appreciate your excitement over events or even to celebrate an event itself. Visit SGArtClass.com to enroll in an art class to learn how to make artwork to celebrate National Day or any other day that is special to you. Expert art teachers will be on hand no matter which class you enroll in to help you learn the skills you need to complete the projects you’re most interested in.

To read more about the video tributes ahead of National Day — as well as to view the videos — go to https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/made-in-singapore-video-series.