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Most recently, my experimental focus for watercolor is on the vibrancy of colors and layering approach in relation to the richness of optical results. I choose to work on a small scale for the ease of travelling or working en plein air. The myth about watercolor lies in its transparency. It is a conventional notion that transparent washes should be used to bring forth freshness and immediacy. However, I believe that the overemphasis of this technique would, to a certain extent, erode its true capacity in image making. In this show, I am ambitious in using my new artworks to showcase the multifaceted world of watercolor painting. Back in the days when I was learning the classical oil painting approach in New York Academy of Fine Art, I discovered the similarity in the painting techniques between watercolor and oil painting. This similarity is a result of overcoming limitations. Before the turn of the Industrial revolution, manufacturing technology was in its infancy and classical oil painting approach was limited by the availability of pigments. Artists back then were not able to purchase tubes of paint directly from art stores ( a luxury only available much later, thanks to the Industrial Revolution ) to go en plein air painting like we do today. In addition to that, pigments used before the 1850s were generally earth materials or plant extracts, which had to be further blended with oil to form the painting paste used in studios. The colors were either earthy toned (browns) or low in chroma, and materials with greater color intensity were rare and costly to work with. In this restrictive period, old master artists discovered through practical experience, what I regard to be the most brilliant piece of knowledge in the history of color painting - the optical behaviour of colors. In applying this knowledge, artists invented painting techniques that overcame the limitations of their time. The optical result achieved was one with richer hue variation without actually having to paint more colors. Limited by available pigments, the old masters relied on two major layering approaches to create optical results on painting surfaces. The first method is transparent glazing, which is commonly used in watercolor. In oil painting, the glazing method is further classified into transparent and semi-transparent (Velatura) layers, both of which fully enriches the spectrum of tonal and hue variations. The second method involves dry brushing a layer or what is termed “scumbling”. The optical interaction between semi-covered paint layers forms hue vibrancy. American master, Andrew Wyeth employed the latter approach in many of his earthy-toned watercolor works. To present the vibrancy of this optical approach, I employed all possible combination of paint layers. The full spectrum of layers from opaque to transparent layers is evident in this body of experimental watercolor artworks. I sincerely welcome feedback from one and all. Thank you very much. Published version

I am addicted to the convenience of working with watercolor for en plein air painting. It dries immediately, requires minimum layers and all my gear can be packed into one simple travel luggage. My foldable stool, my whole box of watercolor paint, brushes, some drawing materials, a few sheets of quarter-size watercolor paper, sun-shielding cap, a few bottles of tap water and sketchbooks are all packed into my paint-stained red Eastpak travel luggage. A few times, when I met my neighbors early in the morning, they asked if I was travelling abroad for work seeing me with my travel baggage. However, the most attractive point of working with watercolor on location is I have the luxury of carrying out many experiments in a short period of time. This lovely characteristic of watercolor has found any competition. Many of my peers always think that I work fast in watercolor seeing my paintings. However, many of them might have missed seeing my complete working process. In reality, my overall working process is not as fast as what they think. Therefore, I would like share take this opportunity to share with everyone some insights of my process. Some days, I might even spend hours thinking about a new idea or a new way of forming the mood of an image the night before I am going out for morning en plein air painting. Therefore, I have chosen the word ‘Jazz’ as part of my title here. I like to feel like listening to a jazz piece when I am fighting against a difficult design problem of colors or shapes. I hope my audience could see my processes, my failures and be convinced that images do not form through just a few splashes, though they might look as if it has gone through a speedy process. I have presented my most common processes of shape, color and tonal planning. These steps form the framework of my compositional process. In addition, my publication will record my new discovery through my experiments with colors and shapes. These two major visual elements are my most favorable elements that constantly spark me with new ideas in my compositions. They fulfill my philosophy as a living artist where art making is a process of arriving at state fulfillment and therefore happiness. I would like to share the joy with my audiences. Andrew Wyeth lived and painted Maine without having to leave this small state for new subject matters or inspirations. He constantly amazed us with his new discovery around him. I admire the genius in his creation and respect his intensive attention and wholehearted design efforts in his creations. Learning from his approach, riding on his giant shoulders, I wish to peel into a further distance with a wider perspective. I chose to re-discover my familiar places and subject matters. I like to give them new meanings. I wish my courage and new findings in colors and shapes are interesting to my audience. I welcome all constructive feedbacks. Thank you in advance. I hope everyone enjoys my new artworks. Published version

The animation industry today has moved to increasingly rely on computer generated animation for its less time consuming processes and cost effectiveness. As a result, many animation productions have lost the visual freedom and aesthetics that classical 2-Dimensional (2D) hand drawn animations once possessed during the heyday of animation. Potentially, there are a couple of benefits with using Computer Graphics (CG) in the animation making process. Firstly, it involves computer technology that allows a certain level of realism to be achieved in an animated film through the use of texture rendering, CG lighting and modeling. The result is a more sophisticated visual presentation with enhanced texture, mood and lighting. Secondly, a 3D model could be re-used, whether it is a model for a character or a particular background, thus allowing the animation process to be less time consuming than traditional, repeat hand drawings executed in 2D animations. Assumably, this would be more cost effective from the business point of view. However, in reality, more often than not, many blockbuster animated films ended up involving more manpower and resources than projected in order that quality effects are achieved under tight timelines for film productions. In 2D animation making, because of its less re-usable nature, the directing artist has to work towards effective simplification of images made. The enhanced results then is produced by simplification of visual images rather than the duplication of purely realistic objects or texture surfaces. This approach of simplification in design to achieve a greater visual impact is similar to my approach in watercolor painting for many years. Therefore, I am inspired to experiment using traditional brushworks adapted from Chinese ink painting methodology within the 2D animation creating process. Over the years, while working with watercolor and oil painting, my calligraphy brushwork concept regularly serves as an important part of my development as an artist. When I started teaching in tertiary institutions, first at Temasek Polytechnic, then Nanyang Technological University, I realized that students were overly dependent on digital functions, like the ‘UNDO’ step and availability of photographic references. This working direction somehow breaches their willingness to train themselves with brush skills in painting. Hand skills become even harder when the students cannot reproduce artwork in parallel with what they perceive. It reduces their sense of aesthetics and their ability to develop themselves as artists. I hope I can use my rough experimental results and discussions here to inspire our younger generation to explore the beauty of calligraphy simplification and abstraction. Last but not least, I would like to explain that in this paper, as a practitioner in Western painting, I would be sharing my personal brush application experiences. As for Chinese ink brushworks, I am no expert and can only share my study of the concepts of a few contemporary Chinese ink masters. I sincerely invite readers and experts in this area to correct me if my point of view deviates from the actual concept of Chinese ink brushwork. Published version