Chopsticks

This year Chinese New Year falls on Saturday of January 28.  According to Chinese zodiac, this year is the year of Rooster.  Rooster ranks tenth of the twelve animals in the 12-year Chinese zodiac cycle.  Every 12 years there is a rooster year.

I have attached a video of chopsticks from  youtube.  It is eating utensil which have been used by the Chinese over 6000 years and by many East Asians. Chopsticks has been a significant part of the Chinese culture. Through chopsticks we learn many things and it is a connection between people.  Happy Chinese New Year !!  May the year of Rooster brings prosperity and good health to all of you.

pic source: history.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Framed Practice 1021

This is the framed version of my practice 1021.  Size is 5 feet long.  Now permanently hang on my home’s wall.

Lotus Root Soup

Instead of painting lotus, let me just share part of the lotus that I cooked.   Lotus roots can be eaten.  We can make soup, fry or pickle out of it.  It is very easy, quick and with minimum work to cook this soup.  All we need are:  lotus roots, meat (any preferred), red dates (optional), wolfberry (optional).  Red dates and wolfberry can be found at Chinese drug stores.

Wash and peel off the root skin. Cut the root and meat thin.  Because my daughter has braces on, so I just used chicken for this soup.  Any of your preference meat will do.

If you have a slow cooker, use it to cook this soup. It takes longer time to soften the roots.  If you don’t have it, any pot will be fine too.  Just boil the cut lotus roots (dates and wolfberry) until soft.  Add meat and seasoning to your taste.  Now you have soup for dinner tonight.  Enjoy and Happy Saturday!

Practice 921 – #46

Lotus pond at Japanese garden.

Practice 916 – #45

The Japanese garden at Chinese garden.

It was built in 1974 on an artificial island in the Jurong Lake area connected to the adjacent Chinese Garden island by bridge named the Bridge of Double Beauty.

Practice 910 – #44

I can’t believe we still can find this kind of place in Singapore.  The place is by the water and has been considered a jewel by many sketchers/artists.  No idea if it is a river or a canal and the whole area is the industrial site. There are a few fishermen live in this run down place.  A few steps further to the left is a slaugther house. The animal foul smell and crying noices can be detected and heard clearly while we were sketching.  Apart from those, the place is very quiet. 

Practice 904 – #43

Rumour has it that the garden will probably make way for the high-speed rail the government planed to build soon.  It is kind of sad to see it all will disappear in the near future. The rail link connect Malaysia, Kuala lumpur and Johor Bahru with Singapore by 2020.

Practice 899 – #42

There are main and rear entrances to the Chinese garden.  We have been using the rear one to sketch for a couple of times now.  I so like it because it is closer to where I live and I don’t have to walk that far. Today sketch is of two red column pavilions. They are just a few steps from where the white bridge is (previous sketch).

I am so happy that we have a mentor now.  He comes to the garden daily to exercise and promises to teach us how to sketch. We’ve been told when sketching we need to pay attention to the composition.  The subject of what we are going to sketch must be visible in shapes and shades.  The rest can be blurred. Our mentor also told us not to sketch exactly what we see. But draw what we think it should look like. It is alright to add and omit things that we see does/not look nice in the composition. Those big trees, boulders and a person were there because I placed them there.  Is this what you call improvise?   Happy Saturday and take care.

Practice 893 – #41

We still sketch at the same park for now.  There are so many things we can draw.  The white bridge is one of them.  While we were drawing last Tuesday, we met an old retiree art teacher.  I know him when we all went for karaoke two years ago.  He gave us some pointers to what we ought to do when to do plein air.  Hopefully my next drawing will improve.  This is my last post this year and I will see you again in 2016.  Happy New Year!!!  Take care.