Friday, April 22, 2011

Patrick Blanc inspired Mural 牆畫製作中


Another new mural at Central Market.  Six of us together, Sindy, Steve, Joe, Jamaika, Rita and me, we are going to create a false corridor on the end wall of the long corridor on the second floor.  My part of the mural, patterns and plants are inspired by Patrick Blanc's vertical garden.    Also showing on the far right is Sindy's under layer of her part, an aquarium.
六位畫友一齊jam中環街市二樓長廊盡頭的一幅牆。我畫的部份喺參照好出名的Botanist, Patrick Blanc嘅vertical garden概念而畫的。




Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Studying Trees at Kowloon Park 九龍公園樹木遊

A trip to Kowloon Park, studying the trees and shrubs by names and how they are laid out.  My two favourites are the very mature Camphor trees (樟樹) lining the park embankment along Haiphong Road and the  Ficus with the sculptural aerial roots wrapping around their trunks.  The line of trees above, large and small, creates a nice-looking buffer zone at the park boundary and frames the buildings nicely beyond.
九龍公園眾樹中,最喜歡的是樟樹同榕樹。面向海防道的一排樟樹,為行人同商戶提供樹蔭。試想夏天沒有了樟樹嘅樹蔭會點!  而九龍公園內的榕樹,有不小是老樹,根系大,氣根密,當中有不小的氣根已落地發展成根座。
The Ficus virens (黃葛樹) is impressive as its roots are spreading downslope, covering the whole area, as large as its own tree crown. 
這棵黃葛樹的根系覆蓋了整個小斜坡,面積有它樹冠的大小。



Friday, April 8, 2011

Blue House Now and Then 藍屋古與今

The illustration is done based on a photograph I took of a rusty photo metal plate displayed on site at Stone Nullah Street, Wan Chai.  The rusty photo shows what the street was like at least fifty years ago. The passing bikes, the people and the children walking in the street really brightened up the whole scene.
這張畫喺根據石水渠街頭的一幅老照來畫的。我諗張老照都應該喺四五十年前拍的。當時的石水渠街睇起來比現在熱鬧得多。

Decades passed and this is what is like at Stone Nullah Street, Wan Chai today.  Only the "Blue House" remains and Stone Nullah Street is a much quiter street today.  
時移世易,現在只有藍屋仍然存在!石水渠街亦比舊時靜得多。

The "Blue House" is currently declared a grade I historic building in Hong Kong which means it is of great importance and every effort should be made to preserve it.   However, only buildings or sites declared "monument" will be given legal protection which prevents them from demolition or alteration.

More about "Blue House" at Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_House_(Hong_Kong)

Monday, April 4, 2011

Catering Men in Central Back in the Fifties 五十年代中環包伙食


Based on two old Hong Kong photo postcards that amazed me,  I did the following two drawings.  Catering services in the fifties!  The sight is simply amazing, people carrying large wooden boxes full of meals on plates, passing through busy streets in Central during lunch hours.
早前買咗一套香港老照片明信片,參照其中兩張照片畫咗兩張sketch, 係五六十年代中環午飯時送包伙食嘅景像,頭頂托飯盤真係歎為觀止!
It's like they didn't take much effort to carry them, though I'm sure it wasn't true, especially during the hot damp summer months of Hong Kong.

These catering people serving the many office workers and professionals have long gone, only the trams are still running, passing through Central.