A Sleeping Old Man 老翁睡著

I sat down in this pocket garden sandwiched between old shabby buildings along Soy Street to sketch this sleeping old man. By the time I finished, the sky was almost dark, and even the old man was gone......leaving me sitting in the park, alone!

黃昏路經油麻地豉油街，見一老翁安坐睡著舊樓間小公園內，便坐下慢畫。畫完時天色昏暗，老翁不見了，只剩我獨坐公園內。

Old Wan Chai Old Post Office 舊灣仔郵局

It was quite a challenge to sketch this building along Queen's Road East.  The sidewalk was narrow and my view was often blocked by double decker buses and lorries stopping right in front of me as the traffic was heavy.   At one point, I dropped my water brush and it fell onto the road. Fortunately, I was able to retrieve it with my umbrella before it was crushed by the passing vehicles.

It was the oldest post office building in Hong Kong which was built bwtween 1912 and 1913.  It  then went on serving the community until 1992.  The building is now converted into an Environmental Resource Centre.  

畫舊灣仔郵政局都不是太容易。皇后大道東多車，視線不時被巴士貨車阻擋，行人路窄，只能企著畫！

舊灣仔郵政局位於香港香港島灣仔區皇后大道東221號，於1912年至1913年間興建，於1915年3月1日啟用，是香港現存歷史最悠久的郵政局建築。這座建築為香港法定古蹟，由環境保護署於1993年開始作為環境資源中心──環保軒，展示關於環境保護的資料及圖片等。

資料來自維基百科

Hot Smoggy Day at Waterfront Pavilion 天昏地暗海心亭

This pavilion extends into the sea from the famous Hoi Sham Rock and Fishtail Rock, which are located in Hoi Sham Park.  The rocks were originally on an island before the sixties but upon reclamation, the island is now part of the urban area of the city.  

The weather was smoggy today as a nearby typhoon brought hot dusty air into the city.  I tried to recreate the dull weather by using muddled colors on the sketch!

今日下午有空走到土瓜灣海心公園海心亭畫畫。由於香港今日正處於颱風潭美環流外圍，天氣悶熱並能見度低，天昏地暗！

以下補充一點關於海心島的資料:

一九六四年，土瓜灣填海，海心島自此同九龍半島相連。海心島行政上歸九龍城區。

海心島上有兩石，一海心石，一魚尾石。兩石係呢度名勝，舊時有座海心廟，又叫龍母廟。一九七一年填地，座廟剷平。家下該處係海心公園，而海心廟，就搬到區內北拱街。

海心島原有「龍母」壇，舊時漁民同水上人，都去參拜。除善信之外，海心廟舊時都係旅遊勝地，「魚尾石」至有名。填海之前，島對岸有艇，載人往返，「龍母」壇後尾移到下鄉道天后廟則邊，受善信祭祀。間廟宇係華人廟宇委員會管理。

資料來自維基百科

Sketching a Gas Storage Facility from a Restaurant 茶餐廳內畫土瓜灣煤氣廠

Time to sketch huge industrial structures and today I went to To Kwa Wan, an old residential area next to the now defunct Kai Tak Airport.  The facility is sitting right in the heart of To Kwa Wan, tightly surrounded by old residential blocks.  I sketched this gas storage facility inside an old but air-conditioned restaurant where I could hide from the scorching summer heat.  

今日走到 Towngas 土瓜灣的煤氣廠畫大型工業建築。煤氣廠位處土瓜灣心藏，緊緊被舊唐樓包圍，都可以話喺香港特色！  今日天氣悶熱，煤氣廠一帶馬路又沙塵滾滾，好在煤氣廠對面有一間開大冷氣又有大玻璃窗的茶餐廳，否則都幾難慢畫。

Detention Class 留堂！

I was looking at my old sketchbooks and found this which I think is quite special!  This old sketch was done in 2006 when I was working in a secondary school. I was on duty looking after a detention class and I sketched many of the students as the students were asked to copy classical literature for hours as punishment!  What do you think?

一張舊畫！當時我在一中學任教，此畫是在課後留堂班中畫的。留堂的同學都要抄寫古典文學作品直至留堂班完結。

Magistrate's Court Turned Into an Art School 法院變藝術學院

The North Kowloon Magistracy was built in 1960 and it had served the Kowloon district of Hong Kong for 44 years before it was closed and later converted into the Hong Kong campus of Savannah College of Art and Design. The building was one of the few surviving examples of neo-classical and stripped classicism architecture in Hong Kong, therefore making it an important historic building in Hong Kong.

北九龍裁判法院建於1960年並服務九龍區四十四年至2005年關閉。2009年，美國薩凡納藝術設計學院投得此建築物的使用權並成立香港分部。北九龍裁判法院屬西方新古典式多層建築，香港現全此風格的建築物已所剩無幾, 是香港重要的歷史建築物。

Sea and Clouds at Sai Kung Waterfront 西貢雲與海

The waterfront was windy today.  Summer clouds were moving fast.  By the time I finished the sketch, the sky was completely overcast.

今日大風，開始畫時陽光穿插雲層，但不到三十分鐘，整個西貢海灣已烏雲密佈。

Costa Bello, Sai Kung Town, Hong Kong

A Quiet Alley in Sai Kung Old Town 西貢舊墟光與影

A lazy weekday afternoon, I sat here and sketched the lights and shadows cast on this small quiet alley in Sai Kung Old Town!

靜坐西貢舊墟橫街，觀察光與影。

The Pawn on Johnston Road 莊士敦道和昌大押

I went with a group of very enthusiastic sketchers today and settled sketching under a banyan tree on Johnston Road,  opposite this old tenement building.  This building is now named "the Pawn".  The old building was nicely refurbished.  The old pawn shop housed here has been relocated and now the building houses several high-end restaurants!  Would it be better if the pawn shop could coexist with the restaurants in the same building?

今日天晴，我哋一班畫友一齊走到灣仔莊士敦道一榕樹下畫畫。所畫的舊唐樓已翻新成為品味餐廳。老檔舖和昌大押招牌在但舖已搬走！如果翻新後檔舖可以同餐廳共全不是更好嗎?

Lights and Shadows Under Lion Rock 獅子山下的光與影

After swimming at the Morse Park Swimming Pool, I went to the spectator stand and sketched the spectacular Lion Rock, the iconic mountain of Hong Kong.  The sky was full of quick-moving summer clouds and the resulting lights and shadows moving across the mountain and the cityscape was a wonderful sight to look at!

摩士公園暢泳後走上看臺速畫獅子山下。當天晴朗、有風兼雲多，做成地上快速移動的光與影，非常好看！