Books, Art & Movies

Hey everyone!

Just thought I’d give you all peek at my pretty bookshelf.

We actually have 12 more shelf-sections of books – full of non-fiction books, young adult novels, kid’s novels and National Geographic magazines. These shelves are definitely are not as neat and pretty as my rainbow collection.

Would you believe, we even have one shelf-section dedicated to multiple copies of Harry Potter Books – all of which I’ve never read. I slogged through 2/3 of the first book and couldn’t read any more of it. My oldest boy has read them all though.

And then we have another 3 shelf-sections of young children’s books, like The Hungry Caterpillar, Where is the Green Sheep and my children’s favourites that I can’t bear to throw out.

Anyway, it’s almost halfway through the year and I thought I’d share my “Books I’ve Read” list so far.

11 books in 6 months! This is definitely my record, since… having children 13 years ago haha.

I’ve started with the book I finished reading a few days ago… working my way backwards to the book I received for Christmas and started in January.

11. The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy (Omg hard to read, but sooo fricking amazing!)

10. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

9. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

8. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

7. The Martian by Andy Weir

6. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

5. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

4. The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty

3. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

2. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

1. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami,

You can check out my whole list over at Goodreads, although you have to be logged in to see the list in chronological order, I think.

Enjoy!

Last month, I mentioned that I was on a quest to read some classic literature.

I know what you’re thinking… it sounds super dorky… bordering on pretentious.

Haha whatever.

I finished up Great Expectations by Charles Dickens the other evening.

I actually wrote out 7 huge paragraphs about my thoughts on the book, but I decided to condense it all into 7 snappy sentences, since this is, like the internet and all.

I mean, I almost titled this post, “7 things you need to know about Great Expectations”.

1) The novel is NOT : a cute, children’s story like Oliver Twist. (That’s what I thought it was!)

2) Pace of the story : Slow and rambly to start. The story picks up in Chapter 20!

3) How’s the old fashioned language? A bit tricky to read. I had to re-read some sentences a few times to get the hang of it. But by Chapter 3, I was all good.

4) Words I didn’t know: Perspicuity, remonstrance, penitentials, farinaceous. What the heck?

5) The ah-ha moment at Chapter 19: We were FINALLY told WHY the story is called Great Expectations. I was tempted to google it before I found out, but I was happy I didn’t.

6) Plot Summary: A story about a good-hearted boy with lofty goals; an unexpected gift that changed his life; how he rejected his family and friends, and his moral journey through life after that.

7) Best parts: I adored the language and the found the story quite compelling in the end. It had some unexpected twists and surprises.

I really liked it and might pick up Tale of Two Cities next time.

Hi everyone!

I’m on a quest to read some of the most popular literary classics before I die.

It’s a bit tricky, because between my blogging interests, fitness, shopping, cooking, and being a mum… um, I don’t really have much time to fit it in.

But just like exercise, if I want it done, I have to schedule it in and just do it.

I borrowed these utterly magical editions from my father-in-law. He has a whole WALL of leather bound editions, in immaculate, drop-dead-amazing condition, that make me squirm with envy.

I asked if I could borrow a few books to photograph and I picked out some titles I have read and want to read –

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (read)
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (read)
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (read)
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (want to read)
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (want to read)

I recently read Anna Karenina (my own copy, not this edition) and absolutely loved the language, the depth of characters, the immersion into 19th Century Russian society.

It was like Pride and Prejudice, but deeper, less-girly, with more drama and tragedy.

I wasn’t too crazy about Anna’s character though (I wanted to slap her! Get a grip woman!) but Tolstoy’s writing was just delightful and marvellous. His characters were amazing!

I was rather thrilled (more like, moved to silence) while pawing through this edition.

Either I really like books, or there’s something universally appealing of an old, beautifully bound book in perfect condition.

As I mentioned, I didn’t read this edition, but perhaps I should have. It would added a bit more magic to my reading.

Next up, I’m reading Great Expectations (my own copy, as I’m a bit too scared I might ruin my father in law’s copy!)

Check out my reading list on Goodreads.

I have been a lover of Japanese woodblock prints since I studied it in art school (high school).

When I started working, I managed to save up to buy a proper reproduction of The Great Wave off Kanazawa by Katsushika Hokusai, printed on beautiful Japanese paper. I bought it through the state art gallery, so it must be somewhat official.

Anyway, I finally managed to find some time to frame my beloved picture. Yay to getting jobs done!

Wearing my Suede Sandals by Schutz from Shopbop.

The weekends can get pretty busy for us.

All our kids play sport, my husband and I go for a run or cycle, we go out to visit friends, we organise sleepovers and dinner parties, we do lots of jobs and chores around the house, and then there’s homework and assignments to be done too.

Although it’s a bit hectic, life is grand and life is stable.

Anyway as a change of pace, I took one of my boys out to a cafe to do his homework. I didn’t think he would do very well, with all the people, distractions and smells of food, but he was great.

He had a milkshake, enjoyed the change of scene and ploughed through his work.

My coffee was terrible, but I managed to read a few chapters of my book.

What bliss!

Currently reading the gorgeously written, 2015 Pulitzer Prize Winner :

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

I didn’t like the writing style at first. I found it irritatingly pretentious (ha!). But it grew on me. And now I completely adore it. And it’s all flowing and moving at a wonderful pace and slowly gripping at my heart,  because I can tell there will be a sad ending.

It’s also inspiring me to brush up a little on my WW2 history and French and German history too. Which is always a good thing for my brain!

Brought to you by The Commissioned

(Photo from The Commissioned)

I was recently introduced to The Commissioned and invited to experience their art commission services.

Having a background in art, design and photography; having a lot of friends who purchase art for their homes; and having bought my own art, I was really drawn to the whole concept of the website.

I was excited beyond belief!

What is it?

The Commissioned has a large selection of talented artist from all over the world. You can look through their bio, browse through their works, and then start a direct conversation with an artist to commission a work of art for yourself.

You can chose colours that will suit the décor of your house. You can choose a subject that will celebrate a special moment in your life. You can capture a special message as a gift to a friend. The scope is endless!

My Commissioning Experience

I had quite a clear idea of what I wanted.

I wanted an abstract painting inspired by one of our family walks through a beautiful forest.

I took some lovely photos during the walk and wanted to capture the moment somehow. I also wanted the painting to have blurry figures of my 3 children, just to remind me of that happy moment as I looked at them through the leaves.

Sign up and Browse!

I signed up to the site and began to browse through the hundreds of artists, view their works and read about a bit about them (you can actually browse without signing up).

When you sign up, you get to see all the artists’ indicative prices and the size of their paintings, such as: Small Canvas (11×14 inch) USD123.20 or Medium Canvas (24×36 inch) USD691.20.
You can also “Favourite” the artists whose works catch your eye, so you can view them again later.

I was quite fascinated to discover artists from all over the world – United States, Asia, Europe, Philipines, Japan, Moscow, Finland, Poland, Russia, Spain, Argentina and more.

In the end, I utterly fell in love with artist, Deusa Blumke’s work.

She was born in Brazil and currently pursuing Masters Degree in Singapore. She has a looooong list of exhibited works in her portfolio, has won a few awards for her art… but most of all I loved her style. I loved her spontaneous strokes, her bold colours, her blobs, splatters and unique layering.

Examples of Deusa Blumke’s work (courtesy of the artist).

So I sent her a message to start a conversation.

I requested that I was keen for an abstract painting based on the theme of “A Forest Walk”. I’d like the painting to look more like a forest, not a path in a forest.

I enclosed some photos I took while on our recent forest walk. I told her that I would love for her to use them as inspiration for shapes and colour, in particular greens, blues, greys, browns, whites, black (but not too much black!)

I told her I loved the colours, strokes, movement and spontaneity of her featured artworks and would like the painting to have the same strokes, blobs, movement and spontaneity. I don’t really like the use of hard lines/edges and geometric shapes.

I also mentioned to her that I would like the painting to include 3 little abstract figures in the background, dressed in a navy/grey blue (much like the photo above). However I didn’t want them to be the focus of the picture; they are just playing within the scenery.

She loved the photos! She agreed to the collaboration, we settled the price, I made the payment and she set to work.

(I was given a promo code to use at The Commissioned for this review.)

I was super, super, super excited, and a bit nervous!

I couldn’t believe I was going to own one of her paintings! But what if I don’t like it? What if it’s not quite what I wanted? I guess I can ask her to tweak it a bit?

Updates: Work in Progress

A week later, Deusa sent me an update: A photo of her work in progress!

Holy cow! Amazing! – Was my first response!

Usually a sketch is adequate for the first stage of communication, but all artists, designers and creatives work in different ways… and it can be a bit risky for a client to see an unfinished photo of the artwork. I had to keep that in mind.

It’s like a wedding cake maker sending a photo of their fruitcake; A car paint shop sending a photo of their first coat; A chef sending a photo of their chopping board. The masterpiece is not yet revealed! It’s still in progress!

I have to admit that I stared at the unfinished painting a bit more than I should have. I got a bit worried. The graphic designer in me kicked in and I was concerned that there was too much brown, and not enough bright colours, and maybe I should send a message to direct her?

I probably could have done that. The website has a “Creative Studio” section, which brings together all your conversations with artists, all your current and past commissioned works, and any photos sent back and forth.

The site basically makes it very open and easy to have a conversation with the artist.

But I wanted to see the whole process through, being respectful to the artist, being true to the art process and having confidence in her talent.

So I didn’t ask her to change anything. I knew she would deliver something amazing in the end.

It would be like me telling a master chef, halfway through making my meal, to “OH REMEMBER TO ADD SOME SALT TO MAKE IT TASTY OK?”

Out of curiosity, I asked if she could send over some photos of her workspace, so I could publish it on my blog. Seeing photos of the work in progress, within the workspace, was pretty exciting! But this might not be a typical step in the commissioning process.

So cool!

A few days later, she sent some more photo of her work in progress.

Then a few days later, she sent a few more.

Finally, 12 days after we agreed to collaborate, she sent over her final photos and a message, part of it saying, “Unless you would like to have some more of a certain colour or adjustments, I’m finished :)”

I didn’t want her to do anything else to it! I was absolutely thrilled with her final work!

I was so so so happy with it!

I pinched myself, as I couldn’t believe that it was MINE and that Deusa had painted it for me, based on my photos.

She did such an amazing job! Her layers of dots make the leaves and lights look like they are dancing and sparkling. The watery brown blobs make me smile, remembering how fun it was to stomp through the mud. She had captured that perfectly.

And can you see the 3 little figures? How gorgeous!
OK I know that it was my idea, but I love that they are there in the landscape and I have to search for them a bit with my eyes. And I love that they are in a kind of glowing spotlight on the ground. The visual balance of green dots all over the painting is just wonderful. It’s an absolutely gorgeous artwork to look and STARE at :)

I was gushing! I couldn’t wait to have it delivered.

I finalised the details on the website. The project was complete and it was published into my personal art gallery (on the site), along with a direct URL and details.

(You can view mine here: Karen Cheng’s Gallery )

Next, I paid a bit extra for secure international delivery, and after a few days, the painting arrived at my doorstep, wrapped up in lots of bubble wrap, sticky tape and a secure box.

I made a special little space in my home for it.

But then I felt that it got lost (visually) next to all my objects, so I hung it on the wall instead.

To be honest, I was very unsure whether this whole experience would run smoothly, and I was worried that I would have a poor experience. I mean, the whole IDEA of buying art online, sounds fraught with danger, dodgy sellers and con-artists!

But I was very, very pleased with the whole process. The customer service was excellent. There was an online chat function, and team members were all incredibly helpful.

I have already told 5-6 good friends about this site. I just couldn’t keep my mouth shut about it. Okay, I may have raved about it.

I also pointed them to another client review on the site, because I know lots of grandmothers, aunties, mothers who would LOVE to get something similar for their special girls. Basically she commissioned a watercolour illustration of her daughter dancing through a forest, with cute little forest creatures! So cute!

As for me, I am tempted to get another painting commissioned, as I have another two ideas:

1) A unique, abstract family portrait, with 5 abstract figures playing at the beach. I liked the idea of bright blue sky, blue-green ocean and yellow sand. I liked the idea of a bright, bold painting to remember all my family’s trips to the beach.

2) A still life of some pale pink roses in a crystal glass jar. I wanted pastel pinks, pale greens, lots of white and black. Basically I wanted a stylish, moody painting to hang above a small white table and add a colourful lift to a corner in my house.

What do you think??

Do pop over to The Commissioned for a peek!

Enjoy!

Many years ago, I made a promise to read one “Man Booker Prize Winner” novel a year.

Well, I didn’t really stick to it. For 10 years – consumed by looking after small children – my brain couldn’t handle “literature”. I read a lot of Twilight and easy-to-read Popular Fiction instead haha.

But I’m trying to get back into the more cerebral stuff.

I really, really enjoy it. Like fashion, exercise and cooking… it makes me feel good.

I’ve updated my Good Reads profile, if you want to check it out.

I managed to add some of the books I’ve read over the years (that I could think of!) and rated them etc.

I like classics, modern literature, popular titles and a bit of sci-fi. I don’t really like youth fiction or romance. However Pride and Prejudice is one of my favourites!

The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton, won the Man Booker Prize in 2013 and I managed to finish her book earlier this year.

It’s a murder mystery, historical fiction set in New Zealand in the days of the gold rush, with complicated interconnected characters and plot.

I don’t even like murder mysteries. But I liked this novel because I adored her language and story telling (a bit like Charles Dickens), her description of characters and her unfolding of the landscapes and events.

The author is 28 (!!!) and did an incredible job weaving such a complicated narrative. There is also an added technical depth; apparently there are 12 characters, 12 star signs, 12 chapters, and each chapter is half the length as the one before it. But it didn’t really add THAT much to the story, only that the chapters got shorter and it felt more exciting towards the end, leading to the story’s climax.

It’s impressive. But not for everyone!