Seniors at Coffee Shop

I see seniors at coffee shops, markets and supermarkets more and more may be because I am also a senior, a retiree and we have all the time in the world to wonder around our neighbourhood. I see more seniors on wheelchairs or on their PMD some with helpers, many alone sitting in the coffee shops staring at their smart phones. Very often they were watching useless sitcoms, shorts, online purchases etc.

This table of seniors from different races and their helpers caught my attention as they were chatting, seemingly reminiscing the old days. Uncle Sikh had a long white beard and moustache so when he ate his prata with curry, the orangy curry stains could be seen on his beard. His helper would clean off the curry for him with the wet tissues supplied by the other uncle Eurasian with a shorter beard and walked with a walking stick. When I left, they were still sitting there so I was not sure who needed the wheelchair, was it uncle Sikh or the other uncle Chinese whose back was facing me.

Nude Sketchbook
Size: 290 x 145mm

Seniors on Saturday Day Out

Saturday morning at Marine Terrace Market. I was having my breakfast at the coffee shop and I saw this group of seniors on wheelchairs with their helpers. These seniors needed help and there were other seniors on their personal mobility devices moving around in this market too.

Extract from Ministry of Health:
"Singapore is one of the fastest-ageing countries in the world. The United Nations defines a country as 'ageing' if the share of its population aged 65 and above crosses 7%. It is considered ‘aged’ if the share exceeds 14%. Once the share reaches 21%, it is 'super aged'. We are an aged society and projected to attain ‘super aged’ status in 2026. By 2030, 1 in 4 citizens will be aged 65 and above."

I am already above 65, I don't want to be like these seniors when I get much older. It is a wake up call for me. First thing first, I need to loose some weight, exercise more and perhaps, sketch and paint more!

I used a fountain pen with diluted ink and probably needs cleaning. The ink flow was not good but it gave this sketch another character and a different feel.

Nude Sketchbook
Size: 290 x 145mm

Second Intermediate Class for Seniors

Yesterday, I concluded the second intermediate level "Pen and Ink Drawing" class at Brahm Newton. The one conducted at Brahm Tampines completed two week ago at this link.

These pieces are all done by the seniors in the class. They surprised me with such high standard of work with my lesson plans tailored to their needs every week. They motivated me to designing lesson plans that suit their needs and they grasped the concept and skills really quick. So fun and inspiring!

Cartridge Papers 135 grams
Gel pens, ink and watercolours

Intermediate Level "Pen and Ink Drawing" Class for Seniors

This week I concluded the first intermediate level "Pen and Ink Drawing" class at Brahm Tampines. The last session at beginners level was in February at this link.

Except for the first photo, these are pieces done by the seniors in the class. At intermediate level, I did less demo pieces as they grasp the concept and skills very fast.

Cartridge Papers 135 grams
Gel pens, ink and watercolours

Pen Ink Drawing (Intermediate) at Brahm

With just basic skills, you can still join this intermediate class.

This is the link (click on the image) to one of my new classes (Intermediate level) which is going fast if you are interested to sign up. Two new classes were only added yesterday and the one at Brahm Newton is already SOLD OUT within a few hours.

There are still many vacancies at Brahm Tampines and last day of registration is 25 March 2025.

Teaching and Learning from the Seniors

Yesterday, I gave the last lesson at Brahm Tampines to a group of seniors who never failed to surprise me with their diligence, curiosity, earnesty and inquisitiveness in the class.

Demo Pieces

You see two almost identical demo pieces side by side because I have two different classes in a week.

These are my demo pieces during the Oct/Nov lessons that I teach at Brahm Centre after my retirement from the higher institutions which I seldom or don't do demo at all. At higher institutions, younger students will engage in self discovery in their art journey after I give them the lecture or briefing at the start of each lesson. However, I realise for senior learners in my current classes, demo is necessary for them to grasp the skills in a structured way.

Cartridge Papers 135 grams
Gel pens, ink and watercolours