Hawker Selling Medicinal Plants 新填地街草藥攤販

A practice painting based on a photo taken at a street market at Reclamation Street. 練習作品：新填地街草藥攤販

35th World Wide Sketchcrawl:Late Afternoon at Kowloon Walled City Park 斜陽下的庭園

35th World Wide Sketchcrawl: Sketching my Friend with the Bonsai 嶺南盆景

The sky finally cleared up after a week of rain and the weather was just right for sketching.  Not too hot or too cold!





And six very happy faces!

Taking a Rest at Kowloon Park 下午小休

I happened to pass through Kowloon Park this afternoon.  Knowing that the roses are all in bloom at the Colour Garden, I went there and took a rest.  Sitting down, I noticed the visitors next to me made good sketching subject!   And here's the result of the quick sketch!

路經九龍公園玫瑰園，坐下休息時速畫身邊的遊人。

Centre Street Old Tenement Building 正街唐樓油畫

Oil painting with texture paste, foam boards and acrylic!

Day 1: Building up structure and volume with model paste and foam materials.
Day 2:  The coloring process took a whole day to finish.

Centre Street Tenement Building is an icon at the junction of Centre Street and Des Voeux Road. On the ground level there is also an old-fashioned wine seller, a gem in this part of the city.

上色用上一日。
正街與德輔道交界的地鏢唐樓。唐樓地舖是一間老酒行。每次路經必停步細看。

Painting in Progress: Sheung Wan Tenement Building 上環唐樓製作中

I spent a whole afternoon working on the modeling paste and foam materials that gave the painting a more three-dimensional feel.  Now I am waiting for the paste to get dry before I can start working with the colors.

上環唐樓製作中！待平底槳乾後就可以上色。

Sketching Plants at a Nearby Arboretum 獅子會自然教育中心畫植物

I went to a nearby arboretum to sketch under the warm sun this morning.  春天再臨是畫植物的好時機！

Drawing Reclamation Street 畫新填地街

This was the first time I set up a camera and captured my drawing progress.  Hope you like it!
第一次用相機拍自己畫畫！

Street Market at Reclamation Street 新填地街經典排檔

The street market at Reclamation Street is a fascinating place! The stalls, which mainly feature fresh fruit and herbal medicine, are framed by old tenement buildings on both sides of the street. This drawing is based on a series of photos I took there a few weeks ago.

Such charming street markets and their street cultures are under threat now as large developers are pulling down these old buildings in every old district at an alarming speed.

新填地街排檔迷人之處不止於小商戶售賣各式各樣的新鮮水果同中草藥，而是那種在冷氣商場內找不到的人情味。

Another Song We Did in our Previous Show: Heart and Music

From Groove - The Musical Extravaganza
27-11-2011
Sheung Wan Civic Centre, Hong Kong
Vocal: Gary, Him and Jeremy with Zingin' Zanes

Two-Storey Village Houses with Tilted Roofs 官門漁村獨特斜頂屋

I spent an hour hiking around the neighbourhood after lunch today and finally arrived at the Kwun Mun Fisherman Village which is located in the mid-levels of Sai Kung Town. The plans of the houses here are pretty interesting as many of them resemble the shape of a cross. The collective tilted roofs make the whole village a landmark in the region.

官門漁村位於西貢市外圍半山。全村由多間十字型斜頂屋組成。

Reconstructing the Front View of An Old Pawn Shop 重畫晉源押

"Chun Yuen" Pawn Shop was the oldest pawn shop in Hong Kong. It was built more than two hundred years old using traditional green bricks and large cut-out slabs of rocks. The shop was huge when compared with many pawn shops in Hong Kong, signifying that Yuen Long Old Town was once an important economy in this area of Hong Kong. It ceased to operate after the second world war and the shop has since remained closed.

Since the front door is facing a narrow alley, drawing the front view of the entire building is not easy. The front view drawing is based on photos I took there.

晉源押是香港現存最古老的當鋪，至今已有二百多年歷史。晉源押的規模頗大，但二次大戰完結後結束營業，現時重門深鎖。晉源押以青磚建造，用麻石作基層。現已被古物古蹟辦事處列為一級歷史建築。

晉源押面向小巷，店面正面都是根據實地拍的照片重構畫出來的。

Stray Cats Keeping Warm 地盤貓取暖

Two cats keeping warm together on a piece of foam board at a construction site in Wan Chai. 天寒地凍，地盤貓縮在發泡膠上取暖。

34th World Wide Sketchcrawl: Burning Offerings to Gods 二帝廟前祈福

It was a nice experience to sketchcrawl around Yuen Long Old Town, a place that we could still see a number of traditional brick-bulit houses and temples. In the sketch, a man was preparing offerings to be burned at the burner. Written on the burner was three traditional Chinese characters, representing the three gods, god of good fortune, god of prosperity and god of longevity.

元朗舊墟內保留了一定數量青磚建的老屋和廟宇。此二帝廟前的大火爐上寫上福祿壽三字, 好讓村民前來祈福。

Quick Sketch in Stanley 赤柱速畫

I went to Stanley with a group of school kids today. During a fifteen-minute break, I did a very quick sketch of this Tin Hau Temple. (Temple of the Goddess of the Sea)

今日同一班學生跑到赤柱。小休時拿出畫簿速畫天后廟。

The Dolce & Gabanna Protest in Hong Kong D&G 門口萬人影相活動

D&G 門口萬人影相活動
用當日影的相組合而畫成！

I went to this protest against Dolce & Gabanna Hong Kong on 8 January. This sketch is based on the photos I took on site. Thousands of furious Hongkongnese participated. Below is a note written by a local critic in order to explain what is actually happening in Hong Kong.

Outrageous racism of D&G shop and the Tsimshatsui mall in Kong Kong, reported by the popular and daring Apple Daily of Hong Kong. The D&G (Dolce & Gabbana) shop in Hong Kong didn't allow Hongkongers to take photos in the public area in the street outside the shop. Camera was covered by the security guard. The guard in the mall told the reporter that local Hong Kong residents are not welcome to visit as they only expect luxury goods buyers from the communist governed mainland China to come. Tourists from communist China are obviously allowed to take photos in the public street area outside the shop. Lawyers told the press that this is infringement of public access and human rights. The reporter came to test the shop and the mall in Tsimshatsui, as a follow-up action of readers' complaints.

If you are not luxury goods buyers from Communist China, or if you are not prepared to buy as rampantly as the communist buyers do, please think twice before you come to visit Hong Kong, which is now a place contaminated with communist racism, greed and bad manners of luxury outlets. We Hongkongers regret to tell you this, but as our SAR Hong Kong government is dwarfed by the communist Chinese government in Peking (Beijing), who claim to be the most powerful nation next to the USA, we can only treat you well when Hong Kong regains its autonomy. Thank you for your time in reading this, and we feel sorry for it. (drafted by Chan Wan, cultural critic of Hong Kong)

Huge Banyan Tree Swallowing an Abandoned School 錦田樹屋

Kam Tin Tree House is a huge Banyan tree (Ficus microcarpa) that has been growing for more than a hundred years at the site of an abandoned village school in the Yuen Long District. The arial roots of the tree grew along the beams, pillars and walls of the abandoned school. Through time the whole school is "swallowed" completely by the tree as the arial roots slowly thickened into hundreds of supporting trunks. The entwining trunks are really a sight to behold! Truly a living sculpture!

據說錦田樹屋原是書齋, 書齋荒廢後，旁邊的榕樹慢慢長大，氣根沿書齋的牆壁和橫樑擴張，終於變成今天的樣子。

Abandoned Terrace in the Urban Jungle 船街秘密花園

I went sketching with friends along Ship Street. The street is a long ascending flight of steps. At the end of the street, a photographer happened to pass by and showed us a concealed narrow stairway that leads up to an abandoned terrace which once housed a small school building decades ago. Following him, we climbed the stairs and found that the abandoned terrace is now overgrown with huge banyan trees with their tangling roots wrapping many parts of the terrace's balustrade. Huge tree roots are crawling on the terrace floor! The view was stunning as the skyscrapers down hill were right behind the towering trees.

昨日同畫友們到灣仔船街寫生。走到船街樓梯盡頭，路經的一名龍友帶我們走入一個隱閉於榕樹林的荒廢平台。據龍友說平台原為一所學校，但校舍已拆多年。現在大榕樹群從新塑造此地，另此地成為城市中的秘密花園。

Quiet Village Houses at Luk Keng 依山傍水楊屋村

I was invited to a Christmas barbecue party at this remote village in the very northern part of Hong Kong. The name of the village "Yeung Uk" literally means the Yeung's Houses". The village is small but charming. A small hill full of mature trees is right behind the houses while a small tidal pond filled with red marshes is sitting right in front of the village.
今日到鹿頸楊屋村參與一個BBQ party。此村遠離人煙、依山傍水、絕對是寫生的好地方！

Charming Old Tenement Building in Western District 西區舊唐樓

An old tenement building adds much charm to the junction of Centre Street and Des Voeux Road in the Western District of Hong Kong.


一幢充滿魅力的西式舊唐樓成為正街同德輔道交界的地標！

Sketching After Eating at a Huge Canteen 深水埗北河街街市熟食中心

A few days ago, I went to a cooked food centre located in a multi-storey government building in the Sham Shui Po district. The district is one of the older and poorer districts in Hong Kong and the cheaper food here is very popular among the communities. The centre is a huge square dinning hall with many food stores lining the three sides of the hall. We ordered our food and started sketching.   
幾天前同朋友一同遊走深水埗。餓時走上深水埗熟食中心。吃完奶油多同飲完奶茶就開始畫畫

Initial line drawing done on site.

現場畫的線稿。

Time to Sing For You! 係時候唱吓歌！

The Next Ten Minutes
Vocal: Gary and Charlotte
27-11-2011
Sheung Wan Civic Centre, Hong Kong

It's time for some music!!
Last month, I sang with many friends at a musical event held at the Sheung Wan Civic Centre. I really have to thank my coach for coaching me on singing and acting. The show showcased a series of songs from a number of musicals. Here are two of the songs I sang in our show! Enjoy!

上月參與了一個好好玩的音樂劇音樂會演出, 最開心可以同一大班愛唱歌的朋友一齊唱歌！ 在此特別要多謝歌唱老師指點！


Oh the Thinks You Can Think
Vocal: Gary and Lorraine with Hong Kong Metropolitan Chorus
27-11-2011

Sheung Wan Civic Centre, Hong Kong

Oh the Thinks You Can Think! Think the Thinks for Hong Kong!

More songs on my video channel below: 更多音樂！
http://www.youtube.com/user/saikunggary?feature=watch

And more info about Hong Kong Metropolitan Chorus: 有關香港大都會合唱團：
http://www.thehkmc.org/

Flower Market under the Banyan Tree 榕樹下的花墟道

The weather was just right for sketching today, pleasantly cool!

Flower Market Road is a street market with lots of flower shops and street hawkers showing colourful displays, the sweet scents and the exotic blossoms of many houseplants.

天氣不冷不熱，是出外作畫好時候!

香港油尖旺區的一條著名道路，以沿道路的多間鮮花盆栽店鋪組成的旺角花墟而聞名。

Old Tenement Building in Mong Kok 旺角唐樓

A small interesting tenement building in the Mong Kok district. 旺角老唐樓

Fishing at Dusk 黃昏的鯉漁門碼頭

Lei Yue Mun Pier, a great place for fishing, looking at the harbour or just chilling out in the sunset! 黃昏的鯉漁門碼頭是釣魚人仕的好去處！