I've never really delved into watercolors before, but a while back I stumbled upon a blog on urban sketching and the artist presented a marvelous array of watercolor sketches from her travels. They were so expressive and vibrant and just so much more beautiful than what my dinky point-and-shoot digital camera could capture. The artist's splashes of color had such vitality---her quick strokes such a knack for capturing the essence of the scene. How could I have ever thought that watercolors were simply the washed-out slightly bland cousins to the other paints! Obviously I was completely deluded and oblivious to their true potential. Plus, this artist-traveler wandering the streets of the world with sketchbook and travel art-kit underarm sounded wonderfully romantic...
Inspired, during my next passing through KL, I made an impulsive stop at an art store. (I'm a total sucker for art stores. I just want to buy all the things. Oooh felt-tipped sketch pens. YES. Handy-dandy pocket sketchbooks. YESS. Handmade paper. YESSS. Paintbrushes galore. YESSSS. ) Let's just say I came away grinning like a maniac clutching my new sketchbook, some new pens and brushes and a travel-sized watercolor case.
Eyes sparkling with artist ferver I had grandiose plans of "painting the town" so to speak. "Exotic moments and places in Malaysia and South East Asia---prepare to be immortalized in my sketchbook!!" was my battlecry! (---er, manifesto?) Needless to say, that epic plan sort of fell through, and I am back to my previous sporadic sketcher self. I have been far from as prolific as I would have liked. (The reality of the often exhausting nature of teacherhood is as such: after a long day at school, returning into that sweltering heat in search of sketching opportunities sounds far from appealing. Peeling off my baju kurung, sprawling half-dressed on the couch under the fan, groaning about the heat and swapping outrageous classroom happenings with my roommate sounds like a much more feasible plan. Ha.)
That said, I am really happy when I do get the chance to sketch. It happens in bursts. There are the dry spells when my sketchbook sits in a corner gathering dust. Then there are the times when it's with me everywhere, ready to be whipped out at a moments notice.
I love how a sketch pauses life a little. Of course the scene doesn't stop moving, but for me, I sink into a meditative state. It's a haven; I hollow out a moment in time just for me. I settle into the scene, open my senses, let my eyes try to understand how things really are. (Whether I can actually portray them as they are is a whole nother matter). Sometimes I elaborate, sometimes I don't. Sometimes it's frustrating, sometimes it just flows.
So here is a small burst from one of my earlier weekends in Raub (before I was swept up in the madness of facilitating English camps almost every weekend).
Two side shrines at a local Buddhist temple.
The lovely Hindu temple on the far side of town.
I love the warmth of the yellow there.
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