Country Cottage Arts

Monday, 12 July 2010


I've been quite busy lately with many demos being conducted and trying my very very best to explain to all and sundry, especially the ladies' clubs, groups, etc, etc to take up a craft, any craft, for that matter.  Of course, of course, decorative painting is my top choice! 

'An idle mind is a devil's workshop', as the saying goes and to this end, during my course of  talks on crafts, I found that most of our ladies are more into  dramas and mega serials with their never ending plots and wily ways.  With the most silly and convoluting story lines, with typical story lines of whole families being involved in everyone's problems, back-stabbing each other, plotting to bring down someone of their own, bitching and killing, jealousy and hatred, etc, etc, the ladies are caught up with the sob tales and spins and immerse themselves fully into the plot............ and all their brain power is zapped, just like that !

Haiyo ! how to have time to broaden our minds, expand our knowledge, pick up a skill, try out new ideas and live our lives fully ? Didn't one of the wise man say that ' the past is history and the  present is a gift '?  It's really an uphill battle to change their attitude. When I get so exasperated and press them further, their whining and complaining and lame excuses just shocks me.... Helo?  you can prioratise to  buy bling blings costing thousands, Armani handbangs and Jimmy Choos, just to name a few but you can't afford to spend for learning a skill that keeps you mentally engaged, brings you new friendship, opens up a new horizon and to top it all, gives you much needed confidence in yourself and personal satisfaction ?  And it not necessarily have to be decorative painting, you know!  There are a thousand and one skills out there, waiting to be taught, to  be learnt  and to be done.   Need I say more.............................................?

I can go on and on but enough of my rantings for now.... I feel much better already !

Back to my students  paintings....

Rebecca wanted to learn a different flower and much to my happiness, she decided on the yellow poppies with a lace edge for her green tissue box.  Thank God, it was not roses! .  It was a good attempt for a first try on poppies.  The pic below has not been fully completed nor varnished but I must say that it is almost finished except for a few touches.  And, she did it in one session! 

Happy painting and go pick up a hobby if you haven't done already !

Lakshmi

Saturday  3  July  2010


The following pictures are of Ms Asma and  Rebecca with their respective art projects during class.

This is Asma's first decorative painting project and by the looks of it, she's a fast learner!  The project was completed within class hours on her first day itself.  Asma informed me that she was mostly into decoupage  previously but that after some time, it did not create any challenge for her, thus her desire to learn painting.

 Now, that's what I call PROGRESS......  Good for you, Asma, you have my whole-hearted support..... by the way, , do you notice her  beaming smile and ' I've done a great job 'look on her pretty face ? It's a great feeling and everyone should experience it............ just take up a hobby la........

The picture below is of Rebecca, who also managed to complete her project on her first class with me at my home.  Rebecca's interest in decorative painting was so great that she started off by trying it out on her own with the help of the internet .............  how's that for motivation  huh ?





After  I had shown her a  few demonstrations on her art book , Rebecca managed to do justice for her floral project in record time.  Mama mia !  I simply love the look on her face...., but you should have seen her   joy and happiness when she surveyed her finished work. I think her face says it all.

And you know what, she paid me the most simple and sincere compliment ever and I take great pleasure  in quoting her exact words "  teacher, you are a very nice and good teacher "   Nothing earth-shattering, but I basked in her compliment, just the same.   Thank you, Rebecca



Lakshmi

30 June 2010


This birdhouse is  real cute.  The standing perch and the two top horizontal additions above the open circle makes it real 'homey' I think.  The colours were as requested by the customer.

Happy painting

Lakshmi

Wednesday, 23 June 2010


School term has started and it is back to classes as usual after the somewhat long holiday.

The picture below is of  Ms Intan, beautiful name, isn't it?  Short, sweet and  inspiring name, really.  To be called 'diamond' everytime is a great boost to the ego and to have the qualities of a diamond is even more so.........

The picture below shows Ms Intan with her 3rd project, painted in a beautiful tray .  The pattern  was taken from Ross Stallcup's  Gran's Memories.  This pattern  is one of the most widely used designs for trays because the  pattern fits perfectly in any rectangular  or square surface, its easy to paint and the finished painting always brings a smile to the owner.  Look at Ms Intan and you'll know what I mean.......
 

The colours have been changed  as not all exact shades were available.  I prefer to use the colours that the student has or mix and match the palette with a colour wheel as a guide.  I also don't tell new students to buy the entire range of colours ;  just the basics for starters, and then continue to add colours as they progress.  Most often, I intermix Jo Sonja and Americana paints and use whichever is available at the time of painting.  It saves time and money !

Having said that, I would recommend students to buy Jo Sonja's Dioxazine  Purple Series 3 and Burgundy as a basic requirement for decorative painting because the intensity of the colour pigment is excellent.



Happy painting

Lakshmi

Thursday 17 June 2010


This console table was given to me for painting with instructions to deepen the shades and add highlights to the rose.  This is one of the China made console tables which comes already painted.  However, the owner  wanted better contrast because of the barley white background, thus the request for re-touches.

The first picture was taken without any touch-ups

The second picture below  was taken after the shadings and highlights were done.  On both the right and left sides of the table, I painted a replica of the front design as requested.  The owner also requested that the top surface of the table corners be painted as well.








The sides were painted as below





Well, Kak Noor,  your table is ready and waiting.............


Lakshmi

Tuesday, 15 June 2010



This beautiful picture of  scones, cream and strawberries on a picnic layout invokes my favourite rite of English tea.  In actual fact, my daughter, Shireen , did serve me scones with fresh blueberries and cherries ( couldn't get the strawberries though ) for my afternoon tea on my recent birthday.  I'm all of 51 years and life is just beginning for bambina Lakshmi - ( that's what my brother called me when I was a kid)

It didn't take a long time to paint although it looks complicating.  The only tedious part was the strawberries and leaves,  they were small in size and cascading everywhere.  The basket was a breeze and so was the  jam jar and jug and scones...... and everything else !

It's really very inviting, isn't it......  The same picture can be painted on a bread bin too and additional leaves, scones  and strawberries added randomly  to the sides of the bins.

Happy painting and have a cup of tea on me when you do it......


Lakshmi

Saturday, 12 June 2010



The picture below is Norshita's small table cum stool  .  She has painted it in Grans  roses and
hydrangeas with ribbons at the sides but I was too impatient to wait for the sides to be painted. So I took the pics as it is...........



Norshita has kindly allowed me to post the pic in my blog.  Thanks Norshita

Happy Painting

Lakshmi

Wednesday, 9 June 2010



This is Christine's beautiful bread box.  The danish pastry and bread painting is simply gorgeous, isn't it ? I've also posted pictures taken from the two sides for the benefit of readers who might want to paint or to pick up ideas for their own bread bins.   By the way, it's not only the bread bin/box which can host these pictures., the same paintings can be done on kitchen boards, chopping blocks, cake trays and holders, etc .. etc...

Christine has kindly given her permission to put this in my blog.  Thanks Christine ...

The front side                      





The sides of the bread bin









Happy painting !

Lakshmi




               

Sunday, 6 June 2010


The picture I painted below is from the Lang calender series, which is available at Borders Bookstore towards  end December of each year.  The Lang calender series have wonderful pictures which are perfect for painting.  They come in many themes - kitchens, home, sceneries, farm, etc and they make for good collection or keepsakes.

After a long reign of florals , it felt good to paint this ................... the overall background was done in texture paste to depict a stucco wall.  It was pretty exciting painting this.

The finished painting looks good, I must say. 

Lakshmi

Saturday, 5  June 2010

Ha, ha,  don't think that the 'awful teacher' is me.  It's the guy /male teacher, who was recently in the papers for the most awful indecent statement he made.  ( That's my opinion, of course ) .  I cringed in embarrassment when I read it and still do when I think of it. Fancy telling the whole world the intimacy of your married life and have it published in the dailies!.  Why, even his students and family members would be blushing . Why in the world did this teacher had to say such remarks during an interview  as a recipient for the " Tokok Nilam Award" ? ( state-initiated award to honour a teacher who has managed outstanding achievements in education ).


(for all those who are blinking uncontrollably, please go to: http://thestar.com.my 

dated 31 May, 2010, captioned :Award-winning teacher’s secret – reading and S**.

You could also go to blogger at   http://art-harun.blogspot.com               article dated 1 June 2010 and read a funnier take on this article heading.



Honestly speaking, I've nothing  personal against him.   He must really have been a fine and dedicated teacher to have been honoured with such an  award.  It's only that,( maybe I'm from the  old school ) I find his expose of his private  conjugal obligations and duties  to the entire  public realm , highly  offensive, repulsive  and ungentlemanly.  All the more because he is a teacher, for goodness sake ! There are so many things he could have said when getting  the award except that..............

What happened to chivalry and decorum and good old fashioned manners ? You simply don't go about telling all and sundry what you do or not do in your privacy of your  boudoir.  It's simply too much to swallow  .

It was Samuel Goldwyn ( of MGM)  who said famously " I seriously object to seeing on the screen what belongs to the bedroom"  . Well, I'd like to modify his text a  wee bit and say " I seriously object to hearing in public  what should be discussed in your  bedroom "


Objections, anyone ?





Lakshmi

 

Wednesday, 2 June 2010

This is my good friend, Rashidah's summer basket.  The hydrangeas are painted in  Fawn and Titanium White.  The leaves are in washy Teal Green.  I've not done hydrangeas in an antique looking style but I must say that it does look very different and unique .   The edges are trimmed in metallic gold. 

I  would most probably paint it soon but I've to finish painting all my backlog of stuff.

I recently had to conduct a demo at the PJ   YWCA centre and the theme was my favourite topic, recycling.......   As I was hard pressed for time,  I didn't have time to go scouting around the junk stores  - there's none in Shah Alam, where I stay and as you all know, I'm sooooooo terrible on locations and directions.  The only thing that I could rummage around my house was the ubiquitous
' Julies' biscuit tin and so I painted it, with  what else, but  roses..........  Anyway the YWCA members/ladies  were all so taken in and couldn't believe their eyes and ears when I explained to them what decorative painting can do.      Mission accomplished ! 




Lakshmi

Monday, 31 May 2010


This is the picture of the galvanised white mail box with roses as done by Sue of TeratakAntique in my class. Very eye-catching, cheery and colourful.

This picture below was done by Mrs Teh, whom I met at Aniza's class.  It's a cute stool and the vegetable and  gardener motif was too good not to put it  in my blog for others to see.  Mrs Teh was quite happy to let me take pictures and I did tell her that I'd upload it in my blog ....  incidently, it hasn't been completed yet but I simply couldn't resist.........





Happy painting


Lakshmi

Saturday, 29 May 2010


This is the galvanised green mail box from Darmo Cottage owner, Puan Zaleha.  The hydrangeas are painted on both sides of the mailbox.

This is the other side of the mail box.  The mailbox comes in solid colours of dark green, postbox red and white.  As far as I can tell, they are good quality stuff and I would recommend them to anyone who wants to fit their home with a genuine US Mail  official sized mailbox. 

  Incidentally, "US Mail " is embossed on the cover and according to   Puan Zaleha, it is indeed done for the US market.   I'm happy with mine.








Looks pretty good to me, the final finished painted mailbox.


Lakshmi

Sunday, 23 May 2010


I have so far painted 7 window panels of the old 'kampung' (village) type, three of which was done for Darmo Cottage of Banting.  The item below is the 3rd one with a dark olive green background.  It is hung in Darmo Cottage's outlet at Tesco, Bukit Tinggi.  Darmo Cottage sells a variety of English inspired decorative items, furniture, tea sets, etc., etc at reasonable prices.  

Their latest offering of galvanised and coated mail box is a real good buy for the English inspired home decorator. It comes in 3 colours - white, red and green.  I have just finished painting two of them and they look absolutely great.  The pics will be updated in a day or two.


Have a great start to another beautiful week. 


Lakshmi

 Saturday, 22 May 2010


The last few days had been very packed and it was compounded by my computer having a downtime.  It's the weirdest thing, when my kids use the PC, its in tip top condition but when I finally find the time late at night to do my thingy, it just goes kaput !    Believe it or not, I had just finished typing my latest  blog detail when the whole blighted page disappeared ! Urgghh, it's just too much to take...........

On the family side, my husband was not too happy with the Thomas Cup results and kept screaming at the players - armchair critics usually go hyper and my husband was no exception.... (sigh) not a great way to have started the week,  he's not a great fan of Lin Dan, for sure........


(Without prejudice )

On the local news, I fell off my chair when I read about our infamous lawmaker and lawbreaker MP Bung Mokthar and his polygamous rendevous with a local starlet ,Zizie Ezette ( phew, what a name !) The picture of him plastered all over the local dailies showed him in his ever arrogant self  with a nauseating publicity seeking smile which  made me puke......................., really bad.   Honestly, I don't , for the life of me, understand how his constituency voted  him to be their MP.  Geez, they must  have voted  when there was an electricity shortage and everything was pitch black......................

That brazen uncouth lout was fully aware that he had broken the law when he entered into a polygamous marriage and his  " I'm an MP and no one can touch me "  look was so obvious.  His equally infamous and polygamous Zizie Ezette 's smile matched his perfectly .......... what a pair !

The most hilarious comment  came from the  Syariah Judge and I quote the STAR "  They have many fans.  Both are icons "   Duh ?  Icons ?  It's laughable... the Judge obviously  didn't understand the meaning of the word .  And to make it worse, his sentencing of the MP  to 1 month's jail was considered    meting out strict punishment .  Let me get this right,  you wreck the lives of two existing families/ kids included, all  in the name of lust, you are an MP elected and paid for by the public at large,   you took an oath in Parliament to uphold the law of the country yet you willfully defy  the law to suit your own circumstances,  and the presiding judge calls you an icon .... hello,  am I missing something here.................?

Of course, our ever 'crusading ' Women Family N Community Development Minister Shahrizat Jalil had to have her  2 cents worth of " hailed the judgment as a huge moral victory for long suffering first wives " crap of a speech. ( STAR 20 May 2010

At times like this, I just wish that my good friend, Tengku Norashikin could have a heart to heart talk with the Minister and explain to the honourable Women, Family N Community Dev Minister, what a woman's family and her dignity is all about.

Over to you Shikin.......................


Lakshmi
 
 Ps: As readers would know by now, this is written from the viewpoint of a woman, a wife and a mother.

Thursday, 13 May 2010

I painted several items for Ina.  The cutlery box is one of them.   The lace ribbon border was broderie anglaise.

The kettle below is another. Watermelons, strawberries, lemons, cherries , pear  and red-currant bunches completes the picture.

Sunday, 9 April 2010



Mothers' Day comes and goes every year.  Hotels and eateries will be packed to the brim and all manner of presents and treats will be dished out to the fortunate and happy mums who are fortunate enough to have loving kids.    I guess my kids too will do something similar . 


Frankly, however, I've passed that stage of wanting all those flowers and chocolates and cakes and lunches, etc.  That was what I sorely wanted up until when I was forty something.  When I needed acknowledgments, confirmation and tokens from my kids of their love (and perhaps devotion?) for the 'sacrifice' that I, as a mother, was  supposed to have done and still do for my children.

Funnily, I don't need those tokens of affection  any more and if they are too busy with their  young lives and friends, it's okay by me.  I think I've grown out of the 'mother complex' and have become more confident of myself as a mother .  I don't need their affirmations  to know that they love me.  They will always  love me, no matter where they are and  without a doubt, they also know that I'd sacrifice my life them.  All mothers do.  It's the way mothers are, I think  and that is because I'm seeing life through my lens.... ( although  after reading the recent headline news of murdering mothers, I'm not too sure)

I've come to finally realise that  the ' sacrifice' the mother is supposed to do  is actually the  responsibility and obligation on the part of the mother to look after the child.   It is simply the mothers  duty to look after the child and  cater to the child's  basic physical and emotional needs  until the child is old enough to look after him/herself.   There's no sacrifice involved here at all .  If we are intelligent enough to bring a child into this world. we should be equally intelligent enough to look after the child, isn't it?.  As Jackie O quoted " If you bungle raising your children, I don't think whatever else you do matters very much "  We shouldn't have this mentality of ' sacrificing our lives for our children'  idea in our heads. I think it   distorts the special  bond of the mother and child.

And so, it has finally dawned on me that what I've done is just put into practice  my responsibility and obligation ( as any mother would )  to bring up my  children to the best of my ability. There was  no room or space for any 'sacrifice' on my part. The children are gifts of God and I have been  lucky enough to have  known and felt their love and affection for me  all these time.  I still do.  And this is one of the greatest blessings from God that I have received. 

So, if they forgot to buy me chocolates, it's okay;  can't take me out for lunch, it's okay; don't have enough money to buy me flowers, it's okay;  I don't really need their tokens of affection to prove their love for me anymore  but if they do want to give me, I'm not complaining either !

Life is actually simple .  It's only as complicating as how we want it to be......


Happy Mother's Day, everyone


Lakshmi

Friday, 7 May 2010


I recently finished this birdhouse like tissue box holder.  Of course, it was roses.  In fact, it was roses, roses, roses all the way  the whole week !

And this is the tool box, guess again....... with views of both sides.........

3 May 2010


I finally managed to learn, after a long and arduous process, how to download the pictures on my blog.  It really tested my patience as well as my daughter's  for I had to write down every click and step on an exercise book so that I would  not have to ask her again ( beg her again, more likely ! ).

At times like these, I feel so ancient and obsolete .  My kids keep saying, ( when asking to repeat the steps a bit more slowly ) how easy it is and   " Oh, Mummy, it's so difficult to teach these things, you know, even a 10 year old can learn this  in a minute ".  And all I could say to hide my inability at moments like this is "  Oh yeah? A ten year is supposed to shut up and listen to her Mummy, not make  smart alec comments !. God !. it's soooooo   frustrating at times to be a parent.................

Kids always thinks they are smarter than their parents, don't they ?

Anyway, below are some of the pictures that I clicked away at my good friend and ' art terrorist ' Rashidah's house.  As I wrote earlier, the batteries couldn't handle her brilliant artwork and most of them couldn't be seen clearly, except for  2 or 3.......

The pictures don't do much justice to her beautiful work.  Rashidah dear, so sorry for the  amateurish pictures. Hope to see you again and take more pics...... This time, you click for me ya ?



Lakshmi

1  May 2010




The other  day, I made a short tour to the 'pasar malam' night market at Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur.  I had just finished buying some fruits and made a stop at the biscuit stall.  While my biscuits were being packed, a foreign lady with a 2 year  old in tow, stopped by the stall .   The child looked at me and I smiled at her   She was so waif like with curly hair and large brown eyes  The mother looked at the pre- packed biscuits , chose one  and in halting Malay, asked the seller  how much each cost.  The seller told her it was RM3.00 and the lady, after a slight pause, put   the biscuits back  into  the box.   I was sorely tempted to pay for the biscuits but was not too sure whether I should, for I didn't want  her to think that I was doing it out of pity.  After all, , everyone has their pride too and God Forbid,  I certainly didn't want to offend her dignity in public..... but  I soo really wished I could  have just paid  for her though.....

While these thoughts were going in my mind, ( 'to be do or not to be do , perhaps? ) her  two year old spotted a colourful packet of smarties like chocolate and took the brightly coloured foil disc  in her hand.  The mother quickly grabbed it off  her  tiny fingers and put it back into the box.  The child started to wail as any normal toddler would. The mother admonished the child and carried her off on her shoulder, trying to quieten  the child.  The child continued  wailing, turned her head to me and wailed even  more loudly !  The  mother kept on  walking, oblivious to the child's cry. I looked at the child and my heart  almost broke.   I was already itching to pay for it even earlier  and this was simply too much for me to take.... ....  I grabbed the foil disc, told the seller that I'd pay for the chocolates too, ran towards the child as fast as my  legs could  carry and gave it to her in the hand. .  She stopped crying.  And the passers by looked when I ran.  I felt so conscious.  Imagine them looking at a 52 year old woman with a teenage son in tow , running pell mell in a night market street with a chocolate disc in hand !  Totally, totally embarrassing........ but I simply had to do it.  The child's face said it all.  It was a ' wow' moment for me.

Oh, and I also tried to walk back  coolly,  pretended not to see any of the onlookers on my way back to the biscuit seller, who was very busy translating the episode in Chinese to her Chinese customers........


My second encounter was with the 'nasi lemak' seller in Shah Alam itself, Section 9, to be precise.  ' Nasi lemak' is actually my most favoured dish and this young man , Alif, who mans the stall located  near   the Secret Recipe outlet, , is the type every mother would be proud of ! Hardworking, polite,with a  pleasant  disposition and   pleasing manners.  Alif  puts up his stall every evening, rain or shine and  he'll usually talk to me about his growing up days as a 10 year old  in the kampung.  A very nice young man who makes an honest living with an honest days' work. A pity I don't see many other young man of  the same calibre.  Since I buy 'nasi lemak'  practically  4 days out of  7, I meet him quite often .

On my recent visit, as I was buying 12 large packets ( no, I don't eat all of them myself, they were  for my son's  school mates  too ) ,a  middle aged motherly Malay lady stood there waiting for her single order.  It was drizzling quite heavily and the lady had no shelter, no umbrella and she wanted just 1 packet of nasi lemak..... As I was paying for my food, I asked Alif   quietly to   include hers in my bill too . I  scooted  off as soon as I  received the change .

The lady didn't look destitute to me and I wasn't doing it for any self glory either,( how much glory can you expect for a packet of food anyway ?). Nor did I do it for her to convey her thanks to me.  It was just a  bond,  from one mother to another, one woman to another and one human to another.  Nothing more  


Have a beautiful day


Lakshmi

29 April 2010




Hanim, from Meru, Klang wanted her watering can to be choc full of hydrangeas, so this is what I did.

Hope she'd be happy with this.

29 April 2010



This is Sue, of  Teratak Antique, who came for class and did her project on a  daffodil yellow tissue box. 

Sue's quite photogenic, I must say, and this is just on my first camera shot, without fidgeting with the camera's numerous functions.

Notice the white basket on the background ?  She bought it at one of the car boot sale in Shah Alam and had it painted.  Looks  good and very country...... Way to go Sue !

Sue was quite happy with her work and of course, she took back lots of practise sheets to work on. .... ......  for I told her simply and truthfully that the key to happy (rose) painting is practice, practice and more practice. ......


 
Happy painting and  practicing , Sue  ! 

26 April 2010


If you visit the Tesco outlet in Bukit Tinggi, you will see this signage on Cikgu Zaleha's shop on the ground floor. 

This is the 2nd signboard that I painted for  Cikgu Zaleha of Darmo Cottage .   As you can see, it is a real window panel of  the old 'kampung'  house. The idea was to get a shabby chic kind of  feel and I think it does portray so.  The usual sealing, sanding , gesso application and base coating was done.  Thank goodness,  Cikgu Zaleha had it pre washed before it came to me .  Can't say the same for the others though !


I surprised myself by painting on it straight away without the usual  pencil  etchings  which I would normally do for big projects.....hmmm, I must say that I'm getting bolder and more carefree in my attitude. ( Rashidah dear, your trait is getting infectious but I rather like it............)

  The first one that I did  was in her favouite colour of  lime green which I had posted in my previous columns and which is displayed in her Darmo Cottage shop in Banting.  That was the start of everyone hunting high and low for old window panes and panels. 

 I'm now doing  a 3rd  one ( roses, of course !) which Cikgu Zaleha wants to put on both entrances of  her shop.    This is not a window panel but an actual door of  a dismantled  kampung house.... will put it up when I finish it soon.................

22 April 2010

Would you believe it if I told you that I was asked to paint on the old fashioned wooden washboards that our mothers used to wash cloth with ?

Decorative painting has sure made us all go back 50 years in time.  Now anything old and wooden or metal is fair game for painting.......   I actually quite like to work on such items because it gives a certain charm and grace and an authentic look.  More like shabby chic, which I really really like.. My customers are really going out of their way when they go back to their hometowns to bring back all manner of items they could find in their ' kampungs'. 

Just to prove my point, Miss ML  who travelled back to her hometown not too long ago, brought back  a really really grimy  old kettle which had not been used , like for 20 years, and told me to do 'something' with it.  Oh my God !, it had cobwebs inside it too.... honestly.    Am I supposed to wash the kettle too ?  I'm really lost for words  now .........  I was just caught off guard and  am a bit slow to react to situations like this...... (  sigh,  so stupid  la  I am sometimes  ........ ) .  Anyway, I took it in good faith and gave it a good scrub with the whole works.   Unfortunately, the handle came  off while cleaning,  ( I told you that it was that old ) and I dutifully kept it to show Miss ML before I could proceed further.

Now I have been given  3 wooden door frames.  I'm not joking when I say that all three wooden window/door frames have been infested with ant and termite road maps ,  rusty hinges and caked with dirt....you get my picture ?   Suffice to say that I'm a bit smarter now and am going to charge them for the cleaning up process too. 

Do you think I'm being difficult ? 

20 April 2010

Another day, another  request ..... for another rose,....  I'm going to scream now,  so forgive me for this short update......................................

Saturday, 17 April 2010

The chest on the top left  with the above painted picture was given to me some weeks ago.  I am not aware of who the artist is nor am I interested in knowing the identity of the artist.  The only comment I would make is that the artist did not know what she was doing.

When the chest reached me, I was somewhat taken aback .  I couldn't identify the two flowers on the top left of the floral arrangement and the whole thing looked simply flat, to put it mildly.  The  unsatisfied and quite critical owner wanted me to do as much re-touching and re-painting as I could.  Obviously, it  would have been a lot easier and better if  I could re-paint the whole thing but I was not instructed otherwise.  

Anyway, I did what I could  without messing up too much of  the original artists handwork  and put in lots of highlights and shadings . Some of the petals were simply too out of sync and I managed to add in some details to give it some semblance of a rose.

I just wish that the artist who did this had learnt a little bit more before doing it for others , which makes me note that  sometimes customers can be penny wise and  pound foolish too..........

15 April 2010

It's either roses, roses and more roses or hydrangeas, hydrangeas and more hydrangeas.  Most of my decorative painting  friends and customers love to surround themselves with either roses or hydrangeas.  It sure beats the lights out of  me. ... or  maybe I'm missing something ?.  Yup !  I sure am.

Over the last 10 days, I was full time into painting these flowers  over all kinds of  kitchen utensils  and garden items.  Now, I can chat  over  the phone, watch TV and at the same time  continue to paint them .................simultaneously.................... now,   how's that for efficiency  ? !!!  There are several more painted ones... but . I think the above 3 pictures are sufficient  proof.........


The last picture shown above  has Jo Sonja's Claret  Rose Basecoat  as a background   colour,  The border was trimmed with gold which I thought  it the most attractive in terms of colour contrast..... . My student, Shanti,  was so mesmerised by the hydrangeas that she promptly  dedicated it to her husband, Sreeramalu.  Shanti now wants to do the same for her two daughters  too ..

What  more can I say ?

14 April 2010

My daughter, Shireen Thangam Nair to my right and my son Benedict Arvind Nair to my left.

Today is a really  auspicious day and so I thought it good to share my family picture with my readers.
Here's wishing all Hindus / Sikhs and all of humanity   a Very Very Happy New Year. 


Today is a day of great celebration by Hindus and Punjabis all over the world for it marks the arrival of the New Year.  All temples and Gurdwaras ( Sikh temples) all over the world will be having special prayers and all of them will serve a wide variety of vegetarian food, the whole banana leaf  works .....  The food served must have all the different flavours of sweetness, sour, salty, bitter, spicy hot, etc.,  etc ., symbolising  the vagaries of life. By the way, you start and end the meal with something sweet.

First on the banana leaf will be the staple grain of Asians - rice, followed by 5 to 6 kinds of vegetables, then dhall curry,  papadams  thick yoghurt,   "vadai" , ( the doughnut shaped savoury cake made from black gram) with payasam ( a sweet dish made with a mixture of milk, sago, green peas, brown sugar, cashew nuts and raisins  which is served in a glass/tumbler to finish off as desert.. Ever head of a sweetmeat called ' laddu '  ?  It's the yellow round ball like sweetmeat you can find in any Indian eaterie worth their salt.   That's a definite must.  So is ' halva, barfi,  jelebi ' , etc.  These are extremely extremely sweet stuff which is served on all auspicious occasions, all made from mountains of sugar and gallons of milk.  Now you know why Indians are top on the diabetes list  ! !

Mustn't forget the rasam ( mulligawtawny soup was a reproduction of the Indian soup, rasam, by the British. It is basically a soupy drink  made with cumin, anise seeds, black pepper, garlic, ginger, etc to aid in the  digestion after a hearty and heavy meal such as this )  Seriously, you really need to drink the rasam, otherwise, you will , in all probability,  have indigestion  with the amount of food served !    

If you count the number of dishes served, it would be around 10 or so.Thus, most of us who don't eat a 10 course meal daily, will struggle to keep our eyes open during the afternoon and so  a short siesta  is the order of the day.

Similarly, the Punjabis would serve  rice pilaf, chappatis, puris,  dhalls, vegetable dishes and of course, the sickly sweet sugary stuff I wrote above. 

Temple visit is a must as it is where the yearly almanac will be read and a short discourse on the astrological chart of the 12 zodiac signs will be explained.  An astrological prediction of the highlights and major happenings of the year will also  be foretold,  much akin to the Chinese New Year .

Everyone, regardless of  their ethnicity, colour, creed, race, religion, etc, etc, is warmly welcomed to go to any  of the temples or gurdwaras.  During my younger working days of  yonder, I used to take my friends of all races to such sumptious feast.  The  serving of food was done in the great dining halls/ areas , away  from the temple sanctum santorium, so as to respect each others religious beliefs.   Nowadays, most of us don't know or bother to understand nor  learn   the cultural and religious  obligations  of others , much less take part in the many celebrations of each of the varied communities living together in our great country.   

But then again, times are a changing, and the ever optimist that I  am,  we will get to know each other better,  a bit slow perhaps but nevertheless, a start has been made... As George Burns said, " I look to the future because that's where I'm going to spend the rest of my life ".

10 Saturday 2010

I recently had the pleasure of visiting my art friend, Rashidah, at her  home, in Subang Jaya.  As usual, my driving directions were a disaster and I had to constantly call her to take in the bearings. 


But what a sight greeted me.Oh my God, it was a beautiful painted house,for sure.  !  I was completely bowled over  and had to sit down to catch my breath.  Such beautiful works of art...... all over the walls.  It was like being in Alice in Wonderland .  The benches were covered in roses, the walls were adorned with her beautiful paintings and even her kitchen sideboard was specially made to order, painted a beautiful wedgewood green, I think, and covered with  creamy roses, all hand painted,of course.. of course.... 

Her bread bin was, oh!, so pretty with strawberries and scones.  If I had my way, I would have  run off with it, but unfortunately, the Thomas Kinkaide painting on the other wall took my breath  away and then, just when I thought that I was going to faint, I saw  Annette Stevenson's rose in a  picture frame with a beautiful crackled effect.  This time, I wanted to clobber her for good.   I was almost in a dizzy with a tizzy .  I just plonked on the dining chair, unable to stand any longer. What an inspiration, you are, Rashidah.  I'm now inspired to paint more. It goes without saying that one day soon, Rashidah , when you find your picture frame and bread box missing from its place,  you'll know where to find them ya, ......!!

   Of course, I couldn't have left the house without going crazy click-clicking away with my camera .  Would u believe it if I said that even my camera had not enough energy to snap up all the pics,  I'm pretty sure I put in new batteries.... even they succumbed to Rashidah's beautiful handiworks, me thinks !!

I left Rashidah's house reluctantly,  and inspite of taking directions from her, I  first drove into a dead end and then took a wrong turn and ended up paying toll twice on the SILK road to Bandar Puteri Puchong and was on the way to Kajang.!.  Aiyoo!!,   what a terrible way to come down to earth after floating in Rashidah's house....................

And to make matters worse, every  night now, I'm agonising over the pictures and torturing myself thinking when I'm going to paint one like hers.   Rashidah, Oh Rashidah , sakit kepala la  I  !!!!!  ( you've caused me a headache !)

Ps: I have yet to learn how to download the pics myself so I am at the mercy of my daughter to put it up, hence the lack of any now.  Soon........

7 April 2010


I think the title says it all.   It's a  large picnic basket and Sue wanted it with colourful roses and tulip and daises.  This is my own arrangement of a summer posy with  lace at the sides.  The gold rimmed edges gives it a sharp contrast and  helps bring out  the shape of the picnic basket. 

It makes a pretty gift box for sure

Hi Sue, please don't forget to call me for the picnic ......................

 4 April 2010


Today is Easter and Christians all over the world celebrate Easter in a grand manner, with  Easter chocolate bunnies and chocolate eggs.  Since I believe in one God Almighty, I celebrate Easter too. It great, isn't it, to be able to celebrate so many occasions ? Since I studied in St Anne's Convent in Port Klang (the old name was Port Swettenham )  during my primary school years, I 'm quite familiar with their prayers, although at that time, I just learnt it by rote and said it by rote too, without knowing what I was saying.  My parents, although  they were conservative Hindus, believed  in the same philosophy , that all roads lead to Rome.  On hindsight, I think the Good Lord knew I would be marrying a Christian  and so in His wisdom, prepared me for the future...! 

The 40 days before Easter is called Lent and Christians are to refrain from eating meat during Lent.  The last friday of the 40 days is called Good Friday and the last sunday of the 40 days of Lent is Easter Sunday when  meat is allowed.  Sounds familar to other religions, right? So you see, in the end we all belong and believe in the same One, only the paths are different.

Today's Easter lunch will be no different from last year or the year before or the year before...................  The table will be groaning with food, food and more food and a bottle of the best wine would be opened.  My contribution this year to the groaning table is  spicy and dry marsala mutton and sugee cake.  I haven't taken breakfast because I can't do justice to the lunch spread so I'm keeping myself occupied with my hands typing this  instead of my mouth ! 

I've just fed the birds and the really fat guinea pig which my son calls Fido and as I am typing, I can hear the sweet chirpings and whistlings  of the birds on the accacia tree in my garden. 

It's a wonderful world, isn't it?  

 

Lakshmi

31   March 2010

This is the  set of 6 teddies which I was given to paint in the Blue and White series for quiltmaking.  They are so adorable looking and really cute to boot.  Wish I had these when I was a kid. 

The fabric was  100% cotton , so it was a breeze to do these.  I'm now quite adept at painting on fabric and the  best part of it is it gently nudges memories of my  childhood during the 1960s and  70's.  Often,  I'd stop after each session,  peek into one of  the  yellowed and dog-eared  Enid Blyton's books lying about ( yes, I still have them ) and  read 1 or 2 of the adventures, one of which was - The Tower of Ho-Ho Wood which was about Mary Ann and Mary Jane and the other was The Enchanted Gloves - about 2   brownies,  Ho Ho and Higgledy and the nasty wizard Long Beard...................

Don't we all need a break .......and time to chill off..................?