Note

Been very busy. Currently working on a drawing that will take me six to nine months to complete amongst other side projects.

Come back again in September or December.

The Hidden Dragon

Away till June/July

I will be busy from now till June or July. See you then.

Conceptual pieces 2 and 3

2.
Change moths to butterflies.

3.
Change moths to flowers.

Variations: Use light blue shirts, white shirts, black shirts etc.

Side notes:
Meaning(s) aside, the work makes use of the point-line-plane elements of art, as well as the language of repetition.

The moths/butterflies/flowers are the dots.

The lines of the shirts (viewed from side) form the lines 9and perhaps planes) of the sculpture/installation.

The shape of the shirts form the planes of the installation.

In terms of composition, there is also a focus (the work as a singular central piece), the primary elements (the shirts) and the secondary elements (the moths/butterflies/flowers).

Conceptual piece 1

I have this haunting image in my mind (perhaps a meditative one even): imagine a clothes stand with many expensive shirts (e.g. Comme des Garcons shirts) asaulted by a few hundred moths. The moths are trying to eat up everything. Now how do I construct this installation?

First, the moths cannot be real moths,for clearly this visual spectacle is meant for viewing in a white cube space. How to get someone to make these moths? Secondly, how do I get these moths to stick onto the shirts? Finally, how much will this cost?


(The notes read: To decide on structure of clothes stand later)

Loose notes

I have lived with my parents for thirty years.
I have taught in my school for seven years.
I have loved and lost.
What else can I not do?
And even if I fail, what difference does it make?

The truth is, I cannot expect to produce five works and they are all 'hits'. Every step is part of the journey. Each sketch, drawing or painting is a part of the journey.

Sailing out into the open sea with no destination in mind.

I need to believe in myself that I will get better. Turner and the Chinese painters have shown me the way.

The open sea. The other world. A series of notes, sketches, drawings, paintings, and ideas by sin.

I mustn't rush. I must work very slowly.

I am a self-concious and self-absorbed young man.

That the artist is inspired, will be discovered, and will become rich and famous is a myth that does not happen and has no real value in it.

Thee is no need for me to prove that I can draw or paint. In fact, it would be better if people look at my work and think that I cannot draw or paint.

I find that I am closer to the old-school and narrow-minded people in the old academies rather than the rebel or revolutionary. I need to change.

Notes

Where art is concerned, quantity is not the issue. What matters is quality.

I must set high standards for myself.

There is nothing wrong with my art. That is the problem -- there is nothing wrong. Therefore my art is good, but never interesting. Look at a Comme des Garcons fashion show (especially SS 2012). There are at least 500 wrong things in it, but it is never for a moment boring or dull.

I was looking at two books on drawing, and things done more than forty years ago are more interesting than what I am doing now.

I am losing interest in non-contemporary art. I have done realistic illustrations, expressive drawings, and abstract paintings. It is time to move on.

I am inspired by Shirley Kwan's 'The birth of ten thousand things'.

I am thinking of mini-projects that require research and thought.

If I take more than two hours to work on an A4-size drawing of a dead bird, and the result is not even satisfactory, then I should not expect things to be easy.

I am turning 32. I want to do the best art of my life.

I accept my calling as an artist. I am not ashamed to learn from those who came before me.