Country Cottage Arts

Christmas was celebrated in style with my Christmas pudding flambe (d) with whiskey! Ha, now that was something I had never done before and for a first timer, lighting the liquor was a panicky moment but one which I actually carried out with aplomb ( praise, praise!) Everyone had a slice with custard sauce over it.

The run-up to Christmas was, of course, tiring. Shopping trips to KL CC and The Gardens was quite a chore, not so for my kids though.I'm not a shopping person per se and it was all a rushed and tedious chore. Leave me in quite bookshop with a cup of tea and that will make my day anytime.

One of the most Christmassy moments was meeting Anne, my youngest sister-in-law. It's almost been 10 years or so I think since I had last met her. I was so overwhelmed when I met her a few days before Christmas. Sweet Jesus! I had tears of joy literally flowing from my eyes. I was genuinely glad that she was 'back in the fold' so to speak. And, to top it all, I got the most fabulous gift from Anne- a true blue Wedgewood tea set for 4 !. All the years of yearning and looking at the many many English tea pots in the many many fancy outlets was fulfilled out of the blue by Anne, bless her. Oh, I forgot to mention that she gave a beautiful pair of earrings too !. My, my, I never had it soooo goood. Not even from my husband. Now, is that something or what? And you know what I did? I set the table for myself , on Christmas day,no less,( my children wanted out,imagine that) made myself a pot of peach tea and had a good cuppa in my spanking new Wedgewood cup! Now that's what you call 'having tea'. Enid Blyton would have been proud of me, no doubt.

One of the highlights of the December months was attending the wedding of Pauline's son, Austin. It was a poolside wedding affair at her home and it was a truly beautiful ceremony. Pauline is a dear friend and an ardent fan of my folk art paintings and as a wedding gift, I gave the young couple a painted English garden scene with their couples name on it. I don't know about the son but Pauline sure loved it very much and asked me to paint another one for her sister-in-law. I had a great time doing it. I feel very much in my element when I paint and the finished piece always gives me a great feeling of pride and joy.

I'm now gettting ready for my first holiday trip to Bali on the 28th and have to sign off now. Till then, Good night and sleep tight. Hello Bali Hai....

School holidays are here again. I' m not so harrangued but still could do with some time by myself. It's always one thing after another. I've been catching up on reading some of the blogs by well known local bloggers, both political and apolitical. I must say that writing has now come to new levels. Being able to get a different perspective on a single subject is quite revealing indeed. Some bloggers really vent out their anger and raw emotions when telling their story. Others brook no questions nor arguements . The mature ones explain their views with the whys and why nots and tend not to commit themselves to any sides. Quite sad, actually, for by sitting on the fence, they are unable to do anything constructive.

I started off this blog to record my artistic endeavours. I'm quite quite happy with what I have done and my interest in folk art has not lessened at all. On the contrary, I've become contented with my 'lot' . I love what I am doing and just wish that others will take up this beautiful craft and experience for themselves all that I have gained.

The only area which I feel needs improvement is the supplies. Almost all the supplies needed, from the brushes to the paints are imported. It's quite puzzling that Malaysian companies are unable to produce these items with similar quality and variety. And that brings me to the other problem... These supplies are only available at very selective and very few outlets in the Klang Valley. What can I say about hobbyists who are in other parts of the country? Where do they get the supplies or do they have to come to KL to get them...


Thats all for now folks, goodnight

It's been sometime now, I guess, since my last entry. A lot has happened during the last two months. Hari Raya came and went in a whirldwind of 'open houses' and constant eating of goodies, non stop... I'm sure my girth has expanded from all the cookies and cakes but who cares for diet when the festivities are on! I had not realised that most of my good friends are all Datins and Puan Sris ,Tengkus' and Rajas until one of my friends pointed it out to me that my social circle was hmmmm , as she put it 'betul betul berpangkat ' . Seriously, this slant of observation had crossed my mind . If you ask me, I think it is a pretty stupid observation from a pretty stupid friend .It does not matter to me one bit what titles they have, for I have always looked upon them as friends , good friends whose friendship I cherish and value with all sincerity. Good friends are hard to come by and their worth is weighed in gold. Titles and prefixes to names have never bothered me and I'm not about to rearrange my thoughts now . Come to think of it, I have always addressed them by their names and no one has been offended either. Maybe it's because I've known these friends for donkeys years, hmmm... Anyway,the upside was I got to eat lots of fattening and mouth-watering home-cooked food cooked by these titled ladies themselves throughout the month. The downside was the struggle to slip into my pants after every visit .


I must take this opportunity to decribe my visit to my good artist friend, Roslina's house. Lin,as I call her, is such a lovely person, that you cannot but share in her enthusiasm of her craft and the tremendous amount of energy and effort she had put into transforming her house into a beautiful and cosy home. Goodness gracious, it was like walking into a painted house. A beautiful painted house. It was like you were in a different country! Her garden, with the lush greenery and bright flowers were as inviting as a cool glass of lemonade on a hot day. And that was just the outside. The interior was , of course, like a page out of a Beatrix Potter book. Well, sort of, anyway. I couldn't stop gawking and exclaiming at every one of her wall hangings, shelves, cupboards, bottles, tablemats, containers, cutlery, china, curtains... etc,...etc... etc.... Ha, ha. my camera was in automatic mode, clicking away at every thing in sight. Luckily, I had just put in new batteries...!

It was simply amazing. The renovations they had made to their home added to the enchantment. Credit must also be given to her good husband ,whom,I guess helped in the handyman department. I'm sure he too was very pleased with the results achieved. Believe me, I didn't and couldn't eat anything, so carried away was I with her artworks. Surely, her house is worthy of a magazine shoot.....

Hardly was Hari Raya over when the Festival of Lights 'Deepavali' descended. Now, it was my turn to do all the cooking and baking. I was sooooo busy, busy, busy. My daughter's exam had started just about that time and thus she was unable to help , although she and my son did manage to make 'muruku' and 'achi muruku' ( rose). The first batch of muruku was all eaten before Deepavali itself and the second batch came out so hard to bite that I had to use a hammer to crush them. I think I know now why my dental filling came off! I had to eventually throw them away. I was just too scared to serve them to my friends.

As usual, my kids and I trooped down to Klang town's "Little India" on the eve to watch the fantastic fireworks, the packed crowds of last minute shoppers and to feel the hustle and bustle of the festivities. It made us feel alive with the festive mood. Back in Shah Alam,however, it was very quiet, as not many Indians live here.However, I had a large turnout of guests to visit me, mostly my students and their parents, that I had a hard time trying to cope. Of course, all my 'berpangkat' friends came too. Apart from thosai with chicken curry, mutton rendang Indian style ,putumayum and poories with chutney, this year, I had also for arranged 'mee rebus'. This was a favourite dish that I used to have when I was schooling, so it did bring back old memories of my parents and siblings. My guests seemed to like it too. I had also baked a few cakes like coconut cake, chocolate cake, orange n poppy seed cake ,lemon prune cake and pound cake. The others were a peach pie, chocolate and walnut tart, french apple tart, apple crumble and a cherry and almond tart. This was also the first year that I had not made any cookies. Hmmmm.. looks like I had baked quite a number of cakes and pastries. Now I remember, the whole of the two days prior to Deepavali was spent on baking and baking non stop. I do get into a frenzy when I start baking.

As I had no help this year, I couldn't call all my art friends. I can't remember calling so many guests either . I was totally swamped by the bumper turnout that I don't think I ate anyting on Deepavali. My last guests clocked out at about 11.30pm so it was a really tiring and exhausting but happy day for my family.

It's almost 1am now and way past by bedtime. Goodnite/good morning to everyone.

Have been busy, as it usually is, with house duties, art classes, tuition, etc. After a long absence I have again joined the line dancing class to get back into the groove, so's to speak. I had recently attended a Merdeka line dancing event and it sort of made me want to go back to dancing again. It was quite fun but at the same time I felt silly not being able to co-ordinate the steps as I had forgottten most of them. What a loss of my talent!. So, I am back at it again.

Back to my arty stuff. I have completed 2 pieces of still life, one a spice rack and another a kitchen utensil shelf. I've also managed to finish a piece by Peggy Trabalka, of children picking blueberries. It brings back a childhood nostalgic kind of feeling, of innocence and naiveness, of carefree days and wholesome goodness. The only change I made was changing the blueberries to cherries. I was over the moon when my sifu told me that my work was very good. So did Rashida and Lyn. Aha, it feels gooood....

Just to mention also that a few of the art pieces i did, namely the stroked roses picnic basket, my paper towel holder with the shelf motive, the Cove box and the 'God Bless My Family' plaque have all been sold to a single buyer who bought it at one go. Impressive, huh?! I think so too.

My latest project is a breakfast tray with stand on which I am doing some large roses. I've also made some enquiries with friends to help display my pieces. I've got some leads and soon hope to do so. My dance teacher, Ruby is making arrangements for me to give a talk/demo at the YWCA. I would really love to explain to a wider audience the joy of painting and hope that others too will pick up this craft as a means to creating beauty and having a fulfulling hobby too, which, if one perseveres, will bring in gainful income. I believe, every woman should learn a skill, a skill which we can put to practical and pragmatic use, be it be cooking, sewing, dancing, reading, baking or whatever takes our fancy. It certainly helps us to be independent and at the same time keeps our mind occupied . Learning is a life long process and there are millions of things we can learn and take part in. As far as I am concerned, I would certainly like to learn more, do more and read more. Now, if only I can convince my Maker to give me an extra hour a day....

I have been surfing the net lately and what I read there is quite depressing. Its all sort of gloom and doom . The country's politics is in the dumps and everyone is waiting for something to happen. I know not what.

A picnic basket with stroked in roses was done in a record time (for me) of one day. I was rather pleased with myself. I find this method of drawing such a breeze, just stroke in the required petals and voila! you have a pretty fancy piece of work. Oh dear, I haven't had the time to put in the pictures and readers are probably wondering what I am talking about!

The problem is, I'm so engrossed in my paintings, what with wanting to do so many different pieces at the same time, that I wish there are extra hours in the day . Right now, as I blog, I have almost completed, but not quite finished, a country themed headboard of kitchen utensils. Also in the same state is another one on spice jars and herb boxes. To top it all, there's another one nearing completion; children picking berries in the field! I'm feeling a bit over-stretched just thinking when I'm going to finish all those.

The fasting month will be starting soon and there'll be less classes to attend. I have now a collection of various pieces of art from flowers to still life that I want to sell off. I simply lack the space in my house to keep them and practically, every week, there's a new one that I want to do. I can't seem to stop! I'm thinking of putting up all these items in my blog for sale.

I have finished the milk jug art project and it had turned out quite beautifully, although, initially I was not too happy with it. It simply needed more thought and effort and that was exactly what Ms Aniza said. Tsk, tsk, patience has never been one of my virtues. Anyway, I'm very happy with the result. Oh, did I write about the fruit and flower piece which I had also completed? That turned out quite well too, I believe. Hopefully it'l appear here soon. By the way, I've given both and another piece called "Harvest " to be disposed off , gainfully, of course.
I am a little sad to part with Harvest which is a piece of a basket of colourful pumpkins. It reminds be of autumn; falling leaves ,a warm pine cone filled fireplace and roasting chestnuts.. Sigh, I can almost smell them.... Hope the person buying it will feel the same way as I do.

Today's class was a breeze. The stroke-work roses on a picnic basket was quite quite easy. It goes without saying that Ms Aniza is a gooooood cikgu and credit must go to her for making it so easy for me. Rashida opined that I was a 'terror' (read excellent!) in stroke-work and so I have the dubious honour of being called a 'terrorist'! Ha Ha, funny indeed. So I am now a 'terrorist' in stroke work, how's that!

Rashidah did a beautiful cottage rose project on a picnic basket too. I mean, she saw the one done by Ms Aniza and duly 'copied' the same piece. Ha ha, this should make her see red and I hope she does ! Communicative Roslina was not very communicative for the past week and I so missed her smses. I learned today of the reasons and I don't blame her. All I could say to her was ' to err is human but to forgive is divine' . Why get stressed over things we cannot control anyway? Let it take its course and the matter will come to rest finally, I say. God luck to you Roslina. ...

I met Siti today after an absence of sometime. Siti who? Siti Mariam Harun, if I remember correctly. Siti M is such a soft spoken lady that I appear garrulous by comparison. Oh dear, sound totally terrible, doesn't it. I was so terribly sad to hear that she had miscarried because the last time I had met her, she was pregnant into her 2nd or 3rd month I had told her then that it was a blessing ( being pregnant). The feeling of loss is absolutely devastating and I can emphathise with her. Anyway, look at the bright side, Siti M, you get to try and try again! Did I tell that her work is so detailed and perfect ? The Ahmad Tea label she painted was so authentic that if I hadn't seen her painting, I would have thought it was a cut and paste job. Oh dear me, such perfection and patience. I must ask Siti to give me some!

My latest piece of work, which I have not finished yet is a still life of a shelf with milk jug and apples. Although in the beginning it didn't quite look like the one in the publication, with the help of my sifu, Ms Aniza, it slowly evolved into a beautiful piece. It sort of 'grew' on me. Rashidah did a painting of luscious pears and plums and Roslina , a bin with a chicken and chicks . Me thinks her house will appear in a local magazine soon, courtesy of our sifu. Good for her, I say.

I have now decided to paint some pieces for sale as I feel I am quite ready. I have, of course, sold a few previously but that was from requests from friends and those that I had learnt as a methodological process in acquiring the necessary skills. It goes without saying that it feels good to be able to sell the artwork which in return brings about full satisfaction!

Today, I started on a picture of children picking blueberries. It portrays a feeling of carefree innocent childhood days and I always see myself in that picture. Hopefully I'll be able to finish it by this weekend and put it here. That's all, not in a very talkative frame of mind today.

Today, I would like to introduce two of my good friends who are also involved in this craft as I am. Rashidah or Kak Rashidah to some and Roslina. The former and I make no distinction nor think it is out of the ordinary when we have to paint until 3 am to finish our 'masterpiece' as we tend to call it or to prepare our items for the next day's work ( think base-coating, drying the paint with the drone of the hair-dryer or varnishing the piece and waking up the unfortunate inhabitants of our home) On the other hand, Roslina has it all prepared and ready way before us. Their comments and critique has not only helped me to improve my craft but their words of encouragement has tremendouly boosted my confidence whenever I had wavered . To quote Rashidah's words ' its very d beautiful' has kept me going. I like her frank honest comments and ' do whatever I like and when I like it' approach to life. My moments of dithering and the 'should I or shouldn't I? ' times takes a hike when I'm in her company. She breezes in with a purpose , keeps dabbing as much as she wants and likes, makes the necessary changes on the artwork and hey presto, she's done for the day. Next project please!. Her forte, I think, is in painting beautiful scenery and if she permits, I'll feature some of her work. You can judge for yourself.

Now, Roslina, she's the gentle one, doing her work patiently and always listening and learning. We exchange umpteen smses almost daily and through her I have learnt how to 'mms' too. Oh, you should visit her cute and what I call her "little red house' . Roslina has transformed her house into a pretty fairytale kind of house; in fact, her house is more like a living gallery. A beautiful patio cum porch with plenty of potted plants overflowing with lush greenery and blooms gives a cool and refreshing feeling . Her interior wall of barn red is covered with all her art accomplishments. Why, she has even painted the biscuit tins to match her theme! Her happiest moment was ,I believe, when someone asked her nochalantly if her house was
actually a gallery. Right now, she's further renovating and decorating her home and I bet hers will be the best in the block when she's done. I'll try to feature some of her handiwork too if she permits.

I have started teaching decorative art recently. It started off quite by chance . A friend, after viewing my collection, asked me if I could teach her. Acquiesing to her request, I casually showed her how it was done; a few times. When I discussed this with my sifu, she suggested that I should do it properly and so properly I did. It's a whole new experience, teaching art, I mean. All this while, for almost 25 years in fact, I had been teaching English and now I find myself more interested in a hobby I picked up only a few years ago!



To put it bluntly, the calibre of students have terribly declined so. I had to practically cajole and coax them to apply themselves . Having gone through this a good number of times and having worn myself thin in the process, I am finally letting it go. Sad, but hey, life is about changes, isn't it?

It has been quite a bit of fun, really, having art students for a change. Guiding and teaching them is a new experience. This is a hobby craft, after all, not something that you are forced to like and learn. The students are all the mumsy types, meaning, they arrange their timing to coincide with their kids school and tuition hours and what not. Sometimes the tiny tots will watch Disney channel while mum is busy with me. I am thoroughly enjoying this for sure. Of course, now that I can draw a 'rosy' rose, I preen inwardly and congratulate myself when they go all gaga when I show them the strokes! Did you know that painting a rose is one of the most frustrating experience? I've had my fair share of what I call ' hair pulling, ranting and raving mad ' days and times. Anyone would, I guess, for the rose is not called the queen of flowers for nothing! Nevertheless, the phase passes and eventually you would literally float in the air when you get the compliments . You can look at some of my rose themed paintings and judge for yourself.

I have some problem trying to put up my pictures in my column. So bear with me please. I guess I am not quite computer savvy, as yet.

I have just completed painting my birdhouse. As I already had one done earlier, I thought it would make a wonderful gift for my very very good friend, Maggie, who recently celebrated her birthday ( you never reveal a lady's age nor her financial status) . Maggie is dear friend of mine. A gem of a lady to be sure. Tall and beautiful, kind and caring and matched with a cheerfull and bubbly personality , she fulfills all the requirement of what a real friend should be. She is a storehouse of wisdom , kindness and generosity and I am truly glad of our friendship .

One of the wonderful things about decorative/folk art is that you no longer have the terrible problem of trying to figure out what gifts to give to your friends and family. All I have to do now is to give them one of my handpainted items and bask in their " oohs and aahs". Not only is it a unique piece of art but they can actually use it for practical purposes; like the cutlery box, or the pencil caddy, or the paper towel holder, etc. etc.

I painted the birdhouse with rose bushes and creepers laden with flowers, potted plants and windows . The blue door with glass panes completes the entrance. I will try to put the birdhouse in my gallery soon.

Have been in hibernation since my last entry in January! So many things zapped by . So many things needed my attention. But, as they say, there comes a time when you realise that you don't want to zap through your life too and that time has come for me, I think. So, here I am, taking time to smell the roses, literally, if you see my pictures. Please do take your time, sit back comfortably and enjoy the journey as I have.

It's never too late to learn and that has been exactly what is happening to me . I actually started this on a fancy. I have always been game to trying something new . Must be because I am a Gemini. Geminis are always looking for new interest all the time, not content with what we have learnt. Anyway, this particular passion for painting went from a fancy to obsession. Interestingly, I haven't gone off the route, which I would have usually done. I mean, I knew I am an 'arty' kinda person (!) - I like dancing, singing, playing instruments, day dreaming, etc, etc but to have sustained this long in painting is a miracle for me too. I don't think I am going to go off course anymore......

Now, getting started, let me see,

A word of thanks to my teachers Tengku Norashikin, Ms Aniza Khir and Ms Zaitun a.k.a Olive .,who have all shared with me their knowledge and style. Great people they. Tengku Shikin was the first to introduce me into this art. I travelled all the way to Kajang and landed at her house at 8am! Sure had her shocked there. A great lady who was gracious enough to give me a cuppa so early in the morn without lecturing me when I deposited myself at her doorstep even before she left her bedroom ! Had loads of fun though. A strong and vibrant personality who believed in calling a spade a spade . No glossing over for her. A straight talking and gutsy lady if you ever saw one! You would never guess she could sing along, karaoke style, with most of the Lite & Easy radio requests. Phew!
Never a dull moment with her around and the motley crowd of students. Oh, a great cook too to boot. Some people are so lucky!

Now, about Ms Aniza Khir. If you are looking for a really really talented and skilled artist , she is the one I know. As soft spoken as a fluffy mimosa flower. Sweet natured too . Never says no directly to you, but you would know by her "mmmm..." or " why don't we try another colour ?" I could spend hours drawing with her and would'nt know the time passing by, then , realising that its late, step on the pedal and speed through the traffic all the way home!. I picked up the finer skills and points from her. Still am. There's so much to learn from her and most times, she overwhelms me with her knowledge and skill. When with her, I wonder to myself "Why the heck I didn't start this 20 years ago? I would have been as good as or better than her by now!! " Ha, ha, ha, very funny, is it not?

My other teacher has been Ms Zaitun a.k.a. Olive ( a literal translation from Bahasa Malaysia) I finally understood how to draw a rose which actually looked like a rose and not a mutant variety of one. A lady with a warm personality and charming demeanour, she understood my dilemma and gave me hope ! What a relief it was . I could finally, finally, attempt a smile and feel tall, among the weeds(!), when I saw my roses. At least, it resembled like one now and not a ninja turtle. I am really indebted to her for this single accomplishment.

I have by now drawn quite a number of artworks and each one of them has been a labour and I mean a real labour of hard work, sleeplessness and, above all, passion. A good many have been bought by my friends who saw my work and it is at times like these that a feeling of pride encompasses me. I dearly thank them for this as unknowingly,this has made be believe in myself and my craft. I think all artists feel this way too. I guess I have come a long way now . Of course, along the way, I've made many friends and acquaintances. A big hi to Norita, Rashidah and Roslin if you are reading this.

Readers can have a look at some of the pieces that I have done . What I especially like about this art is that not only do you learn a versatile and beautiful craft but that you can use these items for a practical and functional purpose too. The art pieces helps create an air of country living in our work stressed lives and helps transform a house into a home. At least, it has done for me. Having read one too many fairy tales during my childhood growing years has made me unconsciously reach for styles like these.

I hope you like what you see . You are absolutely welcome to make any comments. Your feedback would be really appreciated.