Sketching at Kubrick Bookshop Cafe 睇新宇宙威龍前畫油麻地 Kubrick

Before watching Total Recall at Yau Ma Tei Broadway Cinema, I sat down in Kubrick next to the cinema for dinner. By the time I finished, there's still more than an hour to go so I decided to sketch.

今晚與友人到油麻地百老匯睇新宇宙威龍。開場前到隔鄰的 Kubrick 食晚飯。食完時間尚早於是就畫了此sketch!

Sketching Rooftops in Sham Shui Po 北河街畫天台

Under the very hot weather warning, I went up to the air-conditioned top floor of the Pei Ho Street Municipal Services Building in Sham Shui Po to sketch.  The municipal services building is surrounded by old tenement buildings on all sides.  Their rooftops form a strange world which is totally different from the buzzing life on the street level.  Under the scorching sun, the old rooftops are all quiet and yet captivating in their own special way.

酷熱天氣警告下，我同畫友登上冷氣十足的北河街街市市政大廈頂樓寫生。市政大廈四面皆唐樓。酷熱天氣下，高低起伏的唐樓屋頂異常寧靜，構成一個奇異的城市空間。

A sketch at a sixty-year-old cafe in Yau Ma Tei 紅豆冰傍畫美都

Mido Cafe has been in business in the Yau Ma Tei district since 1950.  It's a true old-Hong-Kong style cafe not only preserves most of the old furniture and interior design, but also the building itself.

坐在木卡位，邊飲紅豆冰邊畫美都餐室。

美都餐室1950年開業，是香港所剩無幾的舊式餐室。美都餐室不單止保留了店內的家私間格，餐室所在的三層高唐樓亦是它吸引人之處。

Anti-Communist's National Education Protest at Hong Kong Government Offices 反中共洗腦國民教育大遊行

More than ninety thousand Hongkongese took to the street today to protest against the implementation of Communist's National Education in Hong Kong.

According to the National Education curriculum resource handbook,  the one-party system in Communist China is a superior system, much better than the multi-party system in the U.S.A. and many democratic countries.  In the handbook, the Communist Party of China is also described as a political entity which is advanced, selfless and always working for its people.

According to a poll carried out by the University of Hong Kong, 52% of the public polled said National Education should be stopped and only 12% said it should be implemented.  In another poll carried out by the Hong Kong Teacher Association, 70% of Hong Kong teachers are against the implementation of  national education and 67% of Hong Kong teachers worry that such subject would become a political brainwashing machine.

Many locals believe the implementation of National Education is a political intervention masterminded by the Beijing Communist Government in an attempt to control Hong Kong's education system and to brainwash the young ones in Hong Kong.

超過九萬香港人走上街上命令擱置國民教育科。香港大學民調指出52%香港人認為須擱置國民教育科，讚成的只12%。香港教育協會調查亦指出70%教師反對在中小學加入必修的德育及國民教育科，67%的教師擔心新學科成為「洗腦教育」，政治凌駕於教育理念。

國情專題教學手冊中歌頌中共為進步無私的執政集團並批評以美國為首等西方國家的多黨輪替制令人民當災。

Quick Sketch at the Academy of Visual Arts 浸大視覺藝術院走廊上速畫

 

The Academy of Visual Arts at Hong Kong Baptist University is currently housed in a group of historical buildings formerly used by the British Army, which is located in a secluded forested area near Choi Hung. A great place for art creation but sadly the site is going to be returned to the Government for other use. Students there are actively lobbying for staying and I think they should! 

And I wanted to sketch slowly but the mosquitoes wouldn't let me!

浸大視覺藝術院位於前英軍基地，環境青幽，是創作藝術好地方。可惜校舍快交還政府。浸大視藝學生對此地情有獨鍾，現正積極遊說校方同政府停止搬遷。


還有，本想慢畫但實在太多蚊！

Old Tree Uprooted by Typhoon Vicente 韋森特過後 大樹連根拔

Severe typhoon Vicente skirted Hong Kong on 23 July and brought widespread damages to Hong Kong.  I visited this large uprooted Banyan Tree along the Sai Kung waterfront the second time after the storm and I do hope it could be replanted soon before it dies.  

韋森特過後,  西貢海傍四處塌樹。今早再到此連根拔起的大榕樹前作畫，留個記錄。希望當局盡快扶正這大樹。

Sketching at Color Brown Coffee Concept Store 一邊飲咖啡一邊畫咖啡

As a tropical storm is heading towards Hong Kong, I retreated indoor inside a popular coffee shop in Sai Kung Old Town.  I settled down in front of a row of coffee baskets, ordered a coffee and started sketching.  The staff was curious and friendly.  We chatted a lot about sketching and coffee.  What a great afternoon under a storm!

熱帶風暴韋森特靠近香港，下午西貢風雲變色！ 我躲進西貢舊墟Color Brown咖啡專門店，邊飲咖啡邊畫畫。店員健談，兩小時天南地北，咖啡繪畫樣樣講！

Sai Kung Grocery Store "Jeh Hoi Gei" 西貢老牌雜貨店謝海記

This grocery store has been in business for decades in Sai Kung Old Town.  The boss, a senior resident here,  always dresses himself formally with a tie.

西貢舊墟老牌雜貨店謝海記。店主每天必定打呔開舖。

Sketches from Hong Kong - 36th World Wide SketchCrawl: Ormsby Street, Tai Hang, Hong Kong 大坑四處畫

Tai Hang is a secluded community near the very crowded Causeway Bay, characterized by its old buildings.  These buildings are well preserved, retaining the original flavor of old Hong Kong.

走進大坑就好像走進老香港！一幢幢完好的唐樓加上各種小店美食，令人回味！

Sketches from Hong Kong - 36th World Wide SketchCrawl: Ormsby Street Street Stall, Hong Kong 大坑四處畫

One of the street stall in Tai Hang.  The boss and his family are all staff and are busy preparing dishes in this street open kitchen while customers sit on stools, tasting Hong Kong style milk tea and waiting for their orders.

大坑炳記！

Quick Sketch of Old Sai Kung Public School 西貢公立學校速畫

A very hot afternoon with occasional summer showers, I took shade at a three-storey building across the road and sketched for an hour.

非常炎熱的下午！ 我走到西貢公立學校對面的蔭涼處，開了接櫈就開始畫！

HK Arts Awards 2011-2012 THE WINNERS!

Thanks again to Meg at HK Art Guide for organizing this to support local art!  I'm honored that I am named the best local visual artist among the five nominees.

Here are the results of the  HK Arts Awards 2011-2012 THE WINNERS!

Best Show

SHAKESPEARE’S WILL- TWICE AS GOOD PRODUCTIONS

Best Musical

I LOVE YOU, YOU’RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE!- HK SINGERS

Best Cantonese Show

RABBIT HOLE- HK REP

Best Dance Show

SNOW AND THE DEADLY SEVEN- THE VIXENS

Best Charity Show

WHAT A RACK- ACT HONG

Best Theatre for Youth Production

SPRING AWAKENING- YAF

Best Producer/Company

STYLUS THEATRE

Best Original Work

ORIGINAL PLAYS- COFFEE AND CIGARETTES

Best Actor

ADAM HARRIS- VINCENT

Best Actress

JAQULIN GOURLAY GRANT- IRON

Best Supporting Actor

DAVID TOBIN- SNOW AND THE DEADLY SEVEN

Best Supporting Actress

AISLING MCDONNELL- WE WON’T PAY! WE WON’T PAY!

Best Bit Role

MIKE HARLEY- MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

Best New Comer

JONATHAN NAZER- C&C AND PRIVATE LIVES

Best Director

GILES BURTON- ADDRESS UNKNOWN

Best Designer

LARA GENOVESE- CALIFORNIA SUITE

Best Stage Manager

KATY FORSE

Best Local Visual Artist

GARY YEUNG

Best Local Band/Musician

HEIDI MAK

Best Re-occurring Audience Member

SATOSHI KYO

Here is the link to the nominees page with links to the nominees websites:  http://hkartguide.blogspot.hk/2012/05/nominees-best-local-artist.html#more

Landscape Painting 風景畫隨畫

The painting was done in an art party.  Though the scene is not depicting a particular location in Hong Kong, the house is painted based on some of the still existing old village houses that can still be found in Hong Kong, mostly in the more remote parts of the New Territories.

地點是虛構！小屋卻是跟據新界買小見小的老村屋來畫的。

Tin Hau Night Market 西貢天后誕夜市

Every year around this time, Sai Kung Town comes alive with the celebration of Tin Hau's birthday (goddess of the sea). This sketch shows two of the many street stalls selling traditional candies next to the bamboo street theatre in Sai Kung Town.

 一年一度西貢天后誕又到。西貢戲棚側的夜市小販售賣各種傳統小食。

Quick Sketch Before Dinner 餐前速寫

This sketch was done hastily while I was waiting for a friend at the cafe of the Tsim Sha Tsui YMCA Hostel. 

餐前等朋友時速畫餐桌上的餐牌杯碟.

A Sixty-Year-Old Hong Kong Style Cafe 海安咖啡

An afternoon well spent! The cafe has been serving Sheung Wan for sixty years! The old wooden furniture, the high ceiling and the local delicacies brought back a lot of memory! Thanks Hoi On Cafe!    紅色木卡位、高高的樓底加上海安獨有的美點，就是一個悠閒的下午!

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。