My interest in photography started in 2003, when I learned how to properly use my Father's old Canon AE-1. Back then, I learned how to develop and process film, as well as experimenting with the printing of the photos. I developed an interest with pin hole cameras using photo paper in place of film. These negatives often took 30-60min because my subjects were anything from the cafeteria to the men's bathroom! I started to really get into it, though, when one of my friends experimented with long time exposures.
Since then I have found many opportunities to take along my camera (be it manual or digital) with me on my travels around town or, in this case, around the world. The photos here, were taken during my year in Japan while I was teaching English.
I have just bought a new digital SLR and so I have been trying to reacquaint myself with a more manual camera than my other digital point and shoot one. And so the pictures are a visual exploration of the inner workings of the camera as well as everyday life. Some show spiritual sites while others focus on the effects of light and movement at night.
Another interest that I have is 'people watching'. I enjoy images where people are going through their normal routines like walking to work. Often I would take my camera with me on my walks and snap a photo whenever the opportunity presented itself. A good example would be during the Tanabata Festival where there were so many people around me that it made it possible for me to shoot pictures of the festivities and the onlookers.
____________________
Painting
The paintings from the last year have been an experiment of sorts. I had discovered a new way of painting where old paintings are reused and remain a part of the new. In each painting, one can distinctly see each layer as they interact with each other. In this regard, the aspects that I enjoyed about the old painting are never lost. And your eye is constantly trying to decide where the old one ends and where the new painting begins.
One such painting is Apt 2012. The old painting was of backlit trees at night while the new one is based on an overnight picture taken from a downtown Toronto apartment. I kept it simple by using 3 main colours to depict the buildings and lampposts. The background was detailed enough that I feared the layers would be competing with each other.
The other paintings are more abstract. With the previous painting, the under layer became more of a pattern. For the next paintings I decided to reverse the order. The more realistic layer was hidden by the woodgrain pattern from my kitchen cupboard doors. Also, I didn't just want to paint over an old painting; I wanted to have the layers interacting with each other. So, in some cases, parts of the image weaves in and out so that there is no longer a distinct barrier between the layers.
______________________
Drawings
I can't remember a time when I was not drawing. It started when I was very young and I was, like any younger sibling, copying my older sister. Looking back through my old sketchbooks to where I am now, it simply amazes me to see how far I have come. And I know there is still much for me to learn!
Like my photos, I am interested in lights and darks; and so my drawings are mostly done with my art pens and nothing more. Generally speaking, my drawings do not have a clear subject or idea in mind. Mostly, I draw for the sake of drawing.
Ever since Drawing 1 and 2 at university, I've been trying to improve my skills at shading and developing the image further. One of my drawing teachers had said that there shouldn't be any white left; the image should get progressively darker through layers of shading. And so I have tried to keep that in mind when I go to draw.
Recently, I have become interested on being more focused on the theme of fairytales and other fantastical stories of my own imagination.
