涂涂写写 = Alchemy of color and brushwork

• Main Author: Ng, Woon Lam
• Other Authors: School of Art, Design and Media
• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Published: Ng Woon Lam 2020
• Subjects: Visual arts and music::Visual arts; Paintings; Nanyang Art
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/137114
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

To me, lines and brushworks are meant to define forms, while colors seek to emotionally enrich the image. I take them to be complementary partners in my art making process. I consider brushworks and lines as drawing, and the process of filling colors as painting. Decisive brushstrokes represent my immediate response to the image I’m trying to create, while my colors complement with consideration of chosen subject matters, to further enhance the brushstrokes. As brushwork strengthens the form, the three attributes of colors (namely tone, hue and chroma) are fine-tuned to either work with or against the results of the brushwork. In this manner, I am ready to enhance or to sacrifice any of their properties to serve the ultimate objective – a strong image composition. The clash between colorful shapes and decisive lines can be visually conflicting, but this is oftentimes overshadowed by the design of interchanging figures and ground, forming believable visual paths. This is the beauty of visual space sophistication through design. Furthermore, the contrast between color and form is subdued with an endless combination tweaking of the three color attributes, so as to achieve a variety of gradient and blending between colored shapes. While visual space is effortlessly built with these variations, the artist retains flexibility in selecting the ‘right’ colors for emotional expression. My art shares the context and history of Nanyang art. The familiar figurative elements and activities, the vibrancy and freshness of colors, and the culturally mixed architectural elements make up some of my regular subject matters. The harsh weather condition and my emotional connection with this motherland steers me towards a chromatic color palette. My calligraphic brushworks are inherited from a Chinese educated background. In the context of Chinese ink painting, high intensity colors are often regarded as an over-sweetening factor. Thus, the use of chromatic colors in my work is in conflict with my brushworks. However, because I live and work in this region, I will never forgo richness and intensity in color. The complex interaction of chromatic colors is not only the inspiration of my compositions; it is the heart of my visual philosophy. A happy painter’s life philosophy is to paint happy paintings filled with joyful colors. Just the grays and browns cannot fully express my inner voice. Therefore, I am taking the risk with colors while working broadly with brushworks to simplify and intensify my joy. In this book, I would like to share my humble recent artworks. I wish they resonate with my audience and bring them joyfulness. Thanks for enjoying my art.