Reflections

I came back from a wet day out. I am revisiting the old magic of writing with a fountain pen. There is just this sensitivity that this pen exudes as the black non-viscous ink flows and spread on this lightly textured and slightly yellow sketch journal.
There isn't a more sensuous feeling of writing than is felt when writing this way.
The speed of the ink as it is absorbed into the paper makes sure that one does not ponder too long before making a mark. One is more likely to then express more freely...a sketchbook free of lines helps too...

Let me make a note here to dabble into water colour or chinese ink painting or calligraphy in the future

I'm just facinated by the apparent randomness that is seen as blots of ink spread on paper. Of course to say it is random is not correct, it is only as unpredictable as the variables are allowed to be undetermined...a phenomenon more likely to be achieved by more naturally made paper...different inks spread in different patterns at different speeds on different types of paper. It is so sensitive as to record every trace of our contact with marking instrument, its ink and the paper. It makes us aware of the vast variables there are out there whenever we make a mark on the environment.

This bout of reflection was inspired by the space, both chronological and physical, that I'm experiencing now. Chronological because, somehow, the time after twelve seems to expand, like how time stands still when one just can't get to sleep. The space seems quieter than it was in the day, even though there isn't much apparent change in noise levels. There seems more space physically as the only light on is the table lamp, and the space around seems to fade away indeterminately...the music on now is some timeless nostalgic japanese piano jazzy stuff that is pretty atmospheric, not in the trance sort of way, but more in the way retrospection and reflection gives physical space another dimension of time, that reaches into the past and fuses it into the present.

This retro fetish was fed by the impressive props of Munich by Steven Spielberg, with the gem of Citreon DS 21 standing out so beautifully...

I will sleep now...


















the 1972 Citroen DS 21 (Lorraine)

Another Sunday

Had a pretty disappointing game of tennis with Clarence in the afternoon...I couldn't serve at all...plus my wrist hurt cause I hadn't played for some time...just needs some warming up I guess...or maybe I'm just getting old...ok...dont tell me...

well...dinner was nice...I was dreaming of this last night...literally...I was just fantasizing how nice it would be to have pork chop in lemon butter sauce...and tonight i did just that...man...I will be doing more of this...



















carbo was nothing much to shout about though...just a salady cold pasta with lightly boiled veges in olive oil & balsamic vinegar with spices plus some lemon butter from the pork chop...had to add tobasco for taste though...needed the kick...

Brrrr....spring?....

This week's been really cold...what's new...but isn't it almost spring? is it 'cause of El Nina? Well winter had been unusually warm so I guess it's just the conservation of coldness then? But then again it almost always seems extremely cold or hot just before it turns to spring from winter or from autumn from summer...the final valiant dying breath of the previous season...just in case you hadn't noticed...the seasons are achanging my friend...

The last few days were a nightmare...working on my model yesterday and the day before...bent over my made-shift table...I gotta tell you one thing though...it didn't do my back any good...the chair was as high as the platform and the heater was blowing right under me...as if it was not cold enough...I had to lower the heating...












A reenactment of the scene




Anyway the model making went quite well...i cut the parts out of cardboard with printed templates...but the tricky bit was cutting the clear plastic sheets...ooo so slippery...and the components to be cut were o so slender and small...i even had to switch spectacles ( my stainless steel glass one kept slipping, had to switch to the titanium one with plastic lens...see la...hiao...)

I must say I wasn't too happy with the design after the model had been made...didnt think so before the model...see...that's why they keep telling us blokes to make models...2d simply cant replace real 3d...

Presentation yesterday was strictly a pin up and everyone in class discussed every pinned up project one at a time...one project at a time I meant...i must say the group took a long time to warm up to giving responses to the proposals...but in the end there was a little bit of inter-student dialogue, which, because it was asked of us and not spontatneous, was a little odd. Still it was a good start...we don't have a tradition of criting each other's work...there isn't much studio culture here...one of the reasons being that we dont' have a physical studio space...but of course that does not absolve us of the poor intra-group dynamics.

Sebas was using a bag he had designed...it looked really good, but it would set us back 100 euros...but it would improve the economy of madagascar(did i get it right? i think he said they were made there)

Dinner was at Adu n Raimund's again...they do have a really nice place...i cooked seafood marinara with fuselli and cannelloni...we had Lipton lemon tea afterwards...boy do i miss Lipton...just don't understand what the dutch see in Pickwick...

After dinner entertainment was The Matador...

went home after too tired...

but couldnt sleep when i got back...hmmm...so i took the herbal sedatives i had brought from home and watched Seinfeld...it took awhile more for it to kick in........zzzzzzzzz

how did i look today?....