Title: Dreams

I've been thinking recently about why we spend the time queueing up to buy the Toto lottery even though the chances of winning are so slim. I think it all goes back to the a very human thing -- we have dreams. And for the price of a dollar or two, we get to dream big dreams, well, at least, until the results come out.

This piece represents the fragility of those dreams.

I wanted to create a more layered look, so I took a used toto lottery ticket, pasted it on a scrap from a flyer (card stock). I then painted a base using mostly green (because the colour is associated with money) with a bit blue and purple for texture. I then added small-sized lettering which formed the next "layer". The last "layer" is made up of large lettering accented by painting glitter (old nail polish) onto it.

Title: Urban Complex

I created this from a promotional postcard from a megamall in Malaysia.

This one started from my wish to create something with a weave.

I started by colouring the entire card with acrylic paint, taking care to make sure that words/letters can still be seen.

I then studied the postcard, and thought that I could perhaps incorporate some of the text in it -- 'Work smart and play harder..." -- into my piece.

I decided then to try to represent the city, with the weave representing interconnecting, unimaginative units stacked on top of one another, like we see with many urban structures these days.

"Work smart and play harder..." fits in well with this theme. We can all identify with the fast-paced life in the city.

The last step - to cover the entire area with white glue, and when it's nearly dry, to create a distress effect, to represent the stress and fractures of urban life.

Title: Unreason

Do you have old nail polish lying round the house? In another work in the ATC format, I made use of a few nail polish colours I no longer use.

I was reading Sophie's World (fantastic primer on philosophy, btw) when I created this, and it was talking about Reason. And instinctively, I wanted to represented the other side -- Unreason -- the nebulous, the grey, the unformed.

Using the brushes attached to the nail polish bottles, I was able to create these circular, fuzzy strokes.

Title: Meaning of Life???

I made this one using the Artist Trading Card (ATC) format.

By tearing a piece textured paper (used to be wrapping paper), a parchment-like piece was created.

I call this one "Meaning of Life???".

It's inspired by a friend who was having a crisis of purpose, wonder if that is all there is to life -- counting the days, and then the end (represented by ###). It's a question I myself am fascinated by, so I wanted to create a piece that will be a tangible reminder of this question.