7 December 2022 ~ Wong Ling

Transparent objects are always a challenge to paint! But once the brain wraps round the idea that painting is really just applying colours where we see them, that is the first step to success. Trust the eyes, trust the process!

Wong Ling’s doing a good job here! 🤩

17 August 2022 ~ Wong Ling

Totally wowed by Wong Ling’s patience and perseverance to finish this piece!

Reference: Ripening Grapes by Robert C. Murray II

24 May 2022 ~ Wong Ling

Wong Ling’s my most hardworking student! She attempted the most complicated parts with various layers of building structures and details all by herself, at home!

So happy to see that she is growing in confidence and skill!

The majestic St Andrews Cathedral at night, based on a beautiful photo by @jero76.

See how the figures add life to the otherwise lonely night scene!

@jero76

9 March 2022 ~ Wong Ling

Painting with lots of patience and ❤️…

Wong Ling’s lovely house in Australia, with nice garden for an olive tree, bottle tree bush and lavender bushes.

30 November 2021 ~ Wong Ling

Blessed is the one whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruits in season and whose leaf does not wither – whatever they do prospers. ~ Ps 1:2-3 ~

Such a meaningful imagery! ❤️

19 October 2021 ~ Wong Ling

A challenging piece with lots of layers and a variety of different greys and neutrals.

The bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists. ~ Japanese proverb ~

And that is precisely why Wong Ling chose this bamboo forest scene to paint!

Love the effects of the light touches that bring out the textures so well – the brambles, the snow, the different layers of leaves… 👏👏👏

7 September 2021 ~ Wong Ling

Working on another piece based on photographer, Stephen Emerson’s ‘Autumn Hedges’ and understanding how the 3D quality of depth can be achieved through atmospheric perspective.

Tracing the branches of the trees may be confusing but that’s also when we are forced to slow down and learn to enjoy the process…

Wong Ling finished the painting at home! I am so happy that she is gaining confidence and building up her skills over the last many paintings!

Look at the light falling on the branches of the trees in the foreground, highlighting the textures and the form of the branches. Feel so warm and light-hearted just looking at this piece. It is almost as if I am transported to this place! 😍❤️

3 August 2021 ~ Wong Ling

Covid has crippled our travel plans for what seems like eternity. One way to relive memories of precious time spent together with families and friends is to sieve through photographs and paint them.

Wong Ling shortlisted a few and we finally chose this scene of an Australian forest that lies in the fringe of a friend’s farmland.

This is a challenging piece for a beginner, with layers and layers of trees in the Australian forest. But Wong Ling coped well!

In fact, she was so motivated that she continued painting at home. I was pleasantly surprised to see that she attempted to paint the people in the painting on her own!

So happy that she has gained so much confidence in the last few months!😀

Look at that! So impressed with Wong Ling, who just picked up the brush beginning of this year! 👏👏👏

One thing’s for sure, in order to paint well, we must settle down our heart and mind, be at peace and enjoy the process!

To think that before we started on this piece, she just wanted to paint the trees and leave out the characters that make this scene so close to the heart!

Was trying to inspire her with the life and art of Grandma Moses. At this rate she’s going, with practice and diligence, she can be the next Grandma Moses! 😉

22 June 2021 ~ Wong Ling

Have you heard of the Rainbow Eucalyptus before? I have never and it is incredibly beautiful, even if it is just seeing this from the internet!

And with a little research, we also found that we have such a tree in Singapore, and it is growing at Katong Park! 😍

This painting is based on a photograph of a much photographed cluster of Rainbow Eucalyptus growing in Australia.

4 May 2021 ~ Wong Ling

It’s cherry blossoms season! 🌸🌸🌸

Since traveling is out, the next best way to observe and appreciate the beauty of the cherry blossoms is to paint them.

Researching for the perfect Cherry blossom tree to paint, made us realise that so many trees turn pink in spring. (That’s how deprived we are in Singapore! Our trees are usually lush green and it is forever summer here! 😆)

Good job, Wong Ling! 👏👏👏

13 April 2021 ~ Wong Ling

There… more layers of autumn colours added in! Before that, the need to identify clusters and branches and rationalising the tones!

Nice, Wong Ling!

Makes me miss travelling! 😔

6 April 2021 ~ Wong Ling

Time to move on to the next season… Autumn!

Painted tree still looks very green, but give it one more week and it will look like autumn trees, I promise! 😌

19 March 2021 ~ Wong Ling

Observing a tree of a different structure.

It is only when one observe closely that we become aware of the beauty and marvel of nature that we often don’t give a second thought.

And in painting, this awareness translates through the proportions, shapes, colours, tones, textures and brush strokes!

23 February 2021 ~ Wong Ling

Wong Ling is my most hardworking students to date 😆! Over the Chinese New Year break she has practiced painting the willow tree multiple times and this is the one she is most pleased with!

Painting takes time to master… with each session, we gain more confidence and with confidence, we learn when to rein in the details and when to let go and paint more loosely, so that the subject looks more natural.

29 January 2021 ~ Wong Ling

Every species of tree is different in its structure… how high it can grow and how wide it can spread, how the leaves cluster together, its seasons and times, are all in its DNA. Besides the species, each tree is also uniquely and wonderfully created by the one and only God!

And imagine, many of them have lifespans longer than human beings!

After the last tree that Wong Ling painted, she gained some confidence… and this is her second tree!

Good job, Wong Ling!

See, painting is a skill that can be learnt! 😁

15 January 2021 ~ Wong Ling

Trees by Joyce Kilmer

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

August 1913

Wong Ling has been fascinated with trees since her youth. What better way to have a better understanding of their inexhaustible varieties, uniqueness and beauty and also marvel at our Creator God than to observe the trees and paint them!

Probably the first painting in decades for Wong Ling! 😆