The Artist Who Paints With A Knife

I've had just enough time...   to learn about Life from the artist who paints with a knife

The street artist I saw in the street of Yangon, Myanmar who painted with what he has 

He paints with what he has

A kitchen knife

And a worn out brush

Sitting cross-legged bent to his task

He has no time for complaining

Of Life and her cards

He smiled when a piece is complete

A moment’s pause to savor it

Then start on the next sheet

The artist who paints with a knife

Has a lot to teach me about Life

He used the knife to create the while lines against the dark patches to create the required shape

That is a worn out wall brush that he is using

He adapted his painting style to the tools that he has

Dashes of the broad brush and fine stroke of the knife and you got a bamboo groove

The only good brush is used to draw more delicate portion of the painting

The whole painting almost done all in just minutes, and it now belongs to me :)

And the memory that came with the painting makes it even more valuable to me

The Hardest Thing to Move

I've had just enough time...   to try moving...

Taken from a car in the street of the City of Hangzhou where the white snake met the scholar...

You won’t believe the things I moved

Odd shapes and sizes

Light as feathers

Heavier than stone

Smaller than your palm

Larger than the truck

Some I moved down the street

Others transported a thousand “li”

I had moved things together

And I had moved things apart

You won’t believe what I moved

But, the hardest to move

The hardest to move

- is a heart

_______

And that ain't the hardest part

The hardest part is working and I've worked enough

And that ain't the hardest part

Talkin' 'bout a true love

That ain't the hardest part

And that ain't the hardest part

The Hardest Part by Ryan Adams

The Flower Outside The Fence

I've had just enough time...   to admire the flower that strayed outside the fence

Saw these lovely flowers inside a fence during a casual walk in Munich...

There was a flower that would not stay

Where it is safe and orderly

Her contented sisters warned

Of a cruel world waiting but

She said -

“I know we all live and die

And even if I were to die earlier

I want to die outside the fence”

...and saw this adventurous flower sticking outside the fence

Oh, give me land, lots of land under starry skies above 

Don't fence me in 

Let me ride through the wide open country that I love 

Don't fence me in 

Let me be by myself in the evenin' breeze 

And listen to the murmur of the cottonwood trees 

Send me off forever but I ask you please 

Don't fence me in

Bing Crosby - Don't Fence Me In 

Bitter Is The Old House That Known Despair (老屋的辛酸)

I've had just enough time...   to take pity on the old house

Taken of the old house I chanced upon in Teluk Anson in Perak, Malaysia

I stood before the old house

And it just stood there

It knows it can stand longer

Than I can stare

It knows I have questions

It knows I care

About its history and

How it gets there

But it is not about to reveal

Its secret affairs

Why should it tell and

Why should it share?

When all these years

No one cares

It will take its secrets

To its grave

Bitter is the old house

That known despair

_________

我站在老屋前

老屋竖立在那

知道它可持立

远比我可凝望

我有许多疑问

我在乎它的历史

它如何走来

但它不愿揭晓

它的私隐

这些年来

无人在乎

为何必须告知？

为何必须分享？

它宁可秘密

带到墓土里

唉！一所历经

辛酸的老屋

 

Paid To Create Dreams That You Will Purchase

I've had just enough time...   to see a dream painted

Taken in a production workshop for disabled artists, Hanoi

The dreams I paint

I wish I am in

But the dreams I paint

Are sold for money

Taken away

Will it be nourished

Or left in a forgotten corner

Among forgotten things

I don’t mind sharing if…

The needle in her hand flew and a picture took shape

I wanted to ask -

What is it you see in my dreams

When you hand over your money

I don’t want to sell if you feel nothing

But I’ve no say

I’m paid to create dreams

That You will purchase

Taking a break and admiring her own dream which will be taken away in exchange for money

The Nai Dee Sculptured Huts Part III – Vic Hua Hin & "The Little Touches"

I've had just enough time...   to appreciate little touches

The Elephant God the office guards

While the big picture thrills and astounds

It is the little touch that counts

The one that said with muted voice “we care”

The one that speaks silently from the heart

A flower on the bed, a smile in the morning

Clasped hands and a little bow

Welcome to our world, may our hearts touch

Softly, gently, with harmony and love

The Teddy Bear in front of the hut

“The Little Touches” 

The Elephant God the office guards 

The Teddy Bear in front of the hut 

A probing question that innocently asks 

Answered by little child asleep on the task 

A dance around the clock 

The imp that holds up the block 

A pink umbrella among the green 

A shadow behind the screen 

The spirits of the tree 

And the spirits roaming free 

The lotus under the sun 

Goes to bed when the day is done

 A probing question that innocently asks

Answered by little child asleep on the task

A dance around the clock

The imp that holds up the block

A pink umbrella among the green 

 A shadow behind the screen

The spirits tied to the tree

And the spirits roaming free

The lotus under the sun

Goes to bed when the day is done

The Nai Dee Sculptured Huts Part II – Tea Under The Rain Trees.

I've had just enough time...   to be captivated by rain trees and huts.

Anyone care for a cup of tea under the rain tree? Taken in the Naidee Sculptured Huts, Hua Hin

When I came across the main yard,  I involuntarily let out a “wow!” exclamation. For there before me is the dream outdoor dining area I will build if I had the money. But it is already built for me, to have a leisurely cup of tea under the giant rain tree. How did the architect build something so close to my dream without consulting me? Join me in wandering through the grounds.

 

 What a wonderful place to have a quiet meal with friends.

Even the main serving area is so tastefully done.

Don’t you just marvel at the architecture?

 

As the sun sets, the ambiance changes. A marvelous example of architecture complementing nature.

 

With the daylight still available, I went exploring. Saw this large building close to the dining area and decided to check that out.  

Like all the other buildings, this large functional building is also tastefully designed and constructed to blend in well with the surroundings. I wondered what it is for?

 

It is a living quarter for a group. It is not only well designed but also very practical and versatile. The hall is big enough to take at least a bus load.

This is such a charming public toilet. It shows that practicality does not have to come at the expense of style and beauty.

I wandered to the other side of the lotus pond to take this shot. The whole complex is very well thought out and planned. I’ve so many pictures that I will continue this on the next post to share with those of you who could not be there.

The Nai Dee Sculptured Huts Part I – Living In Arts.

I've had just enough time...   to live inside Arts!

Taken of one of the Naidee Sculptured Huts we stayed in, in Hua Hin, Thailand.

After  the last few “heavy” posts, lets return to something light and uplifting. I searched my photos for good memories and found them in my recent trip to Hua Hin, Thailand which is where “The Plovers Stole My Sorrow” (earlier post). Enroute to the sunshine beach, I stayed in an Arts complex Vic Hua Hin which housed the Vic Hua Hin Theatre & Gallery, the Patravadi High School, Arts Camp and the Nai Dee Sculptured Huts which is probably the most charming accomodation I had stayed in.

Another of the sculptured huts, this one called "The Fat Lady" for obvious reason.

The cosy and charming interior of one of the huts.

Vic Hua Hin is the brain child of Patravadi Mejudhon, a  renowned actress, director, playwright and founder of the famous Patravadi Theatre who built it to share her love of the Arts especially performing arts with the world. This is the link if you want to learn more about Vic Hua Hin – http://www.vichuahin.com/about/

One of the many classrooms found within the complex, it has a roof and no walls :)

The Nai Dee Sculptured Huts is hand sculptured by Master Naidee Changmoh over 3 years with white cement making each hut a unique art piece. I’ve always enjoyed Arts in its many forms but this is the first time I stayed in one! Naidee is famous for his little monk sculpture but some are not so little and this serene one under the Bodhi tree is taller than a house. 

The entrance to the Naidee Sculpture Huts

The not so "little Buddha" sitting serenely under the Bodhi tree.

Follow me through this and the next couple of posts wandering through the Vic Hua Hin complex sprinkled with wise sayings that I found in note books in the small book shop I found in the complex.

One of the many pottery arts that one find all over the ground, by a student or master; you decide :)

 “Everywhere I go I find a poet has been there before me.”

- Neil Bohr

Delightfull simple works of Arts on the walls of one of the hut.

And in this place, I found many poets were before me and they left their traces everywhere. It is a delight to wander through the ground sifting through the footprints of the poets who preceded me.

The artist blended his work with Nature as if in conspiracy...

“A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.”

- Lao Tzu

...creating fantastic piece that works in perfect harmony with Nature.

 I have to admit I am not yet a good traveler. I excused myself by saying that time did not permit me the luxury of leisurely travel. But I told myself that soon, I will have time in my hand and then, I will live up to the tag of being a good traveler who will stay when he feels like staying unlike my leaving Vic Hua Hin before I was ready to leave.

As I went to bed within this magical abode, I consigned my pleasure to memory and dreams...

“The palest ink is better than the most retentive memory.”

- Kung Fu-Tzu

 

but I know it is too beautiful to keep it to myself so I must share it with the world...

I guess Confucius must know a thing or two about sharing. My memories belong to me but by putting it in ink, I share it with the world. But the biggest beneficiary is still me for memories change with time but though the ink may fade, honest words will withstood the ravages of time.

Join me for Part II.