"The sharp knife of a short life

I've had just enough time..."


- "If I Die Young" The Band Perry


I see Beauty in many things. And like the ghosts that only speak to you if you notice them, they tell me wondrous tales. With my camera and my thoughts, I captured these as faithfully as I can to share with you. And by doing so, they gave me the reasons. And though the thousand reasons may not all be sweet and some indeed bitter; they are still reasons to live. Come to think about it, that is Life, isn't it?
Showing posts with label Painting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Painting. Show all posts

Sunday, 8 December 2013

Moment.


I've had just enough time to...   ponder about a moment.

The moment I viewed the painting "Moment"


I stood before the large painting titled “Moment” in the empty dining hall of this unique company I visited trying to take it all in and feel what a moment meant. There was not enough time. Ironic, isn’t it? Not enough time to feel what a moment is like or what the artist was trying to convey. When a few years ago, I was given the opportunity to start and manage a company, all I had was a vague idea to mold it into “a successful and compassionate company”. In the short span of time, we would be considered “successful” by most standards and now I found a company by which I can model true success after. One that strikes a good balance between profitability and workers’ welfare. That by the way is also true compassion. There is much to learn and execute, but I’m running out of moments…


The last leaf on the tree - a moment in time


If you have just a moment
To preserve your world
Before it disappears forever.
Like the last quivering leaf
In the depth of autumn
Just before its fall to Earth.
What will you capture?

Your first tentative kiss
The walk down the aisle
Praying by your father’s death bed
Safety in your mother’s embrace
The day your child was born
The pressure of his little finger


A Lifetime in a Moment - What is Yours?


The glorious birth of a bright new day
The awesome silence of a starry night
The golden goal or the perfect save!
The view from the top of the mountain
The cool caress of Spring breeze
A slow departing Summer sun…

Each of us will preserve
A special moment
Of beauty, joy or love
But whether it is beauty or joy,
It is still love…


Saturday, 13 April 2013

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


Friday, 24 February 2012

And Never We Ants Shall Meet (Not)!




I've had just enough time to...  study ants.


Taken in an Art Exhibition on Ants in Jenjarom, Malaysia.



Will we meet and
If we should meet
As friends or foes?

Will we find
Should we meet
Wonders or bias?

Will we fight and
If we should fight
Know what we are fighting for?

Maybe it is better not to meet
And live in our own little state
For we are not ready
For the wonders that is the world.

_______

And now my friends, let us watch the video together and sing along. It is easy and I know you can do it. After all, it is just about ants, how difficult can that get?







Sunday, 29 January 2012

Know A Country By Its Arts.




I've had just enough time to...  witness the change in the Chinese Art Scene.


Taken by surprise in the Shanghai Pudong International Airport.



Contrast the previous painting (in the last post) done during the Mao Tze Dong era with this very large painting that I found in the arrival section of Shanghai Pudong International Airport. I have been in and out of China since the early 80s and what a change I had seen. From padi fields to high rise in a blink of an eye. From an universal grey to the latest French fashion. From a third world to one of the largest economy in the world. The speed and scale were mind-boggling.

Still it surprised me when I saw this painting in clear view just prior to the arrival hall. They will allow this suggestive painting in the airport? My friends from the West may think nothing of it. But most Asians are still conservative when it comes to nudity and suggestive portrayal in Arts. They have no problem if such paintings are displayed in studios and museums but have strong reservation when they are shown in public places in full views of children and their grandparents. And what can be more public than an airport?

China has come a long way in the last twenty years. How far? This tale of two paintings show the quantum leap. 



Friday, 27 January 2012

Reflection of A Red Guard.




I've had just enough time to...   ponder what a revolutionist could be thinking.


Taken in my favourite teashop in China where reflection is encouraged.



I reflect
On things I have done
Of things done to me

Of how I feel
When it happened to me.

Of how they feel
When it happened to them.

_______

Red Guard Song





Sunday, 30 October 2011

Art Is Life.




I've had just enough time to...   appreciate Art.


Taken from a vantage point in a side street of Bali.


The greatest value of Art is to remind us of the beauty of Nature and Life that we may miss in our hurried existence. No matter how beautiful the portrayal, it is still but a copy of the real thing. Art enhances Life but it is Life that gives existence to Art. So Art, whether a faithful rendition or an imagined fantasy can never be more beautiful than Life itself.





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