Informal visit by the Minister Iswaran

Minister Iswaran visited the exhibition on 9 May 2018 and had a good informal chat with the participating artists.

Result of April Sketchwalk

I did another long sketch at the April Sketchwalk at Farrer Park, here is part of it. I am leaving this evening for Hong Kong, hope I have time to sketch there.

April Sketchwalk at Farrer Park

Copyright © Chia Kwek Fah
Used with permission

Farrer Park is where much of Singapore's Sports was developed. Fandi Ahmad played at the field. Ang Peng Siong trained at the pool. But by mid 2020, Farrer Park will be returned to the government. Its fate is unknown, but it is one of the few remaining large open spaces in land-scarce Singapore. (http://www.straitstimes.com/videos/farewell-farrer-park/5760121151001).

Surrounding Farrer Park Field are shophouses along Race Course Road, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Farrer Park Swimming Complex, several old churches and temples.

START
Time: 9:30 AM
Location: Farrer Park Field next to Farrer Park Swimming Complex
https://goo.gl/maps/SWnQipRJ17v
If it rains we'll take shelter at the swimming complex

END
Time: 12:15 PM
Location: Same as starting point

Nearest MRT: Little India (DTL/NEL)

Locations to sketch:
- Farrer Park Field. With some luck there may be people playing soccer or cricket!
- Farrer Park Swimming Complex (from the outside. It's a private facility)
- KK Women's and Children's Hospital
- Shophouses and churches along Race Course Road
- Shree Lakshminarayan Temple along Chander Road
- Parish of Christ Church along Dorset Road
- Mama shop at Rotan Lane

Places to eat and shop:
- Restaurants along Race Course Road
- Pek Kio Market

Sketchwalk leaders: Patrick Ng

Notes: Bring your umbrella and hat, and sunblock if you need. Not a lot of shade/shelter at the field, and trees sometimes have birds

Credits: Banner sketch by Chia Kwek Fah

Asia-Link Sketchwalk in Taichung

If you not already known, the tickets for Asia-Link Sketchwalk are on sale. This year it will be held in Taichung from 4-7 Oct, 2018. Asia-Link Sketchwalk or ALSW started in 2016 in Bangkok and continued in 2017 in Kuching. I am planning to go, how about you?

Get a Workshop Pass today!

Details are on Facebook and Website.

Official Opening

Monday, 16 April was the official opening for the exhibition "We Draw Amaravati Together" at Art Gallery@GCV, Temasek Polytechnic where I work as the Artist-in-Residence. The Guest-of-Honour was Mr Khoo Teng Chye, Executive Director for Centre for Liveable Cities. The last day of exhibition will be 20 Jun. All are welcome.

Chief Minister Visit

Nara Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, visited the exhibition "We Draw Amaravati Together" at Art Gallery@GCV, Temasek Polytechnic. He was here only for a day since 6am and before his returned flight at night, he asked to visit the exhibition. What an honour!

ALL ARE WELCOME

The Centre for TransCultural Studies of Temasek Polytechnic presents the exhibition "We Draw Amaravati Together" by Urban Sketchers Singapore. The exhibition opens on 16 April, Monday at 6:30 pm; we are honoured to have Mr Khoo Teng Chye, executive director of Centre for Liveable Cities grace the occasion.

This project is presented by the Amaravati Partnership Office of the Ministry of Trade & Industry and Temasek Polytechnic, with Urban Sketchers Singapore. Banner sketch of the Mandadum village in Andhra Pradesh, India by Benedict Tay.

Please join us on 16 April, 6:30pm. ALL ARE WELCOME!

Sketches on Shanghai

I was away to Shanghai for a work trip from 12 to 25 March and completed a sketchbook. Enjoy!

It's a Wrap!

It’s a wrap after this final filming session for a skyline sketch.
Background music - “heavy rain” by nature.

3 metres long skyline sketch

Here is a peep into my latest work. I was away to Shanghai with 27 students who are on a short internship at Charles and Keith in Shanghai. While they were working hard in the office, I was working hard in my hotel room completing a very long sketch of 3 metres long by splashing the sky with my favourite blue and purple sky. I will release more details when I obtain the full green light from the client.

East Coast Road

A sketch while waiting for our table at the crowded lunch place to celebrating my young son's birthday.

Gift to India

On 26 Feb, 2018, my painting of Uddandarayunipalem, one of the 29 villages in Andhra Pradesh was presented to Nara Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of AP by S. Iswaran, Minister for Trade and Industry, Singapore. Thanks to Temasek Polytechnic, my institution and MTI for the opportunity and my fellow sketchers who were with me on this fun, unforgettable and memorable sketching trip to India.

The original work is here.

Feb Sketchwalk at Pang Sua Pond

February sketchwalk 2018 at a totally new location right in the heartland. Its Pang Sua Pond at Bukit Panjang all the way to the west of Singapore. I like it that the pond or wetland is next to the swimming complex and the community centre connected by an overhead bridge to the multi storey carpark, Bukit Panjang Plaza where I can find NTUC finest, food and shops.

"This is in fact the second-largest man-made floating wetland in Singapore," said PUB's chief sustainability officer Tan Nguan Sen. "The floating wetland has a few benefits. The plants will absorb the nutrients from the water and helps improve the water quality in the pond. And the floating wetland is a very good outdoor classroom for students and residents to learn about how you can use plants to treat the water."

The pond was built in the 1990s and serves as a stormwater collection pond. It takes in rainwater runoff from the surrounding areas, which is then pumped to the Upper Seletar Reservoir for storage and treatment.

Read more at www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/revamped-pang-sua-...

It's a Wrap!

It's a wrap for this semester teaching. I am now with International Relations that runs an academic centre called Centre for TransCultural Studies. CTS offers very diversed languages and cultural subjects for all students to choose as a "Cross Disciplinary Subject". Here are two out of five groups of my classes with students from very diversed background. We have Malays, Indians, Eurasians, Cambodians, Burmese, Arabs, Philippinas and also a British student in my classes. They are making me feel energetic and young again.

Rob's in Town

Rob Sketcherman from Hong Kong is in town for a workshop under STAR of MOE, we met up with him on a regular sketchwalk by a small group of sketchers last Saturday at Yan Kit Road near Tanjong Pagar. It was a windy and cool day that we had fun chatting, sketching, catching up and lots of photos taking at a very cool cafe called Essen just next to Pinnacle.

A Quick Pose

George has lost weight and he does look younger now. This sketch of him looks ever younger with my few very quick lines. I also got him to sign on the sketch.

The Same Lady

I sketch this same big lady for a few times at the same coffee shop. She is not wearing her glasses now so I think she must have been going through an eye operation recently. She was in my stories and sketches here and here.

This Afternoon Lunch at An Shun

Today's lunch at my favourite fish soup stall at Toa Payoh, also the meeting place for so many taxi drivers. The taxis will take up almost all the nearest parking lots near to the coffee shop that sells famous fish soup, yong tau foo, chicken rice and claypot laksa.

Chinese New Year decorations are easy to spot at heartland coffee shop like this one.

Simpang Bedok

Lunch at my favourite noodles shop at Simpang Bedok. This building called Bedok Market Place on the left in my sketch opposite the shop used to be an avant-garde building designed by local architect Tang Guan Bee for Far East Organisation. It is now slowly transformed into "creative culinary stalls" that are that your typical hawkers.

Splashes and Washes again

In the mood of splashes and washes again, this time more lines and dots by brushes.

Splashes and Washes

Splashes and washes only done at a spur of the moment, the truth is my pen had no ink.

Opposite Indian Heritage Centre

This was the second sketch at Little India just opposite Indian Heritage Centre at Clive Street. Added colours later. There were so many tourists and big coaches came and went while I did this sketch.

Master Class at Little India

Last Saturday, I did a 5 to 8 mins demo to a group of Master Class students from LaSalle College of the Arts. It was a very hot day but it also drizzled for a while and I just sat there on the same spot. I thought it was my sweat dripping from my forehead. It was a fun outing!