It's Christmas

It's Christmas! The snow is here and everyone is sleighing, throwing snowballs and making snowmen. Also everyone is making any snow thing. But I think sleighing is best. I think everything is the best.

written by : Muhammad Zulkarnain (Nine)

MY ARTWORK DEBUT

OFFICIAL OPENING

by the Mayor of Bury,

Saturday 21st November 2009,

2.00 p.m

Exhibition duration: 21 November - 27 February

Location: BURY ART GALLERY, Moss Street, Bury, BL9 0DR

LIST OF MY ARTWORK SELECTED

1.

Title : IT'S BATH TIME

Medium: Acrylic

Size: 60 x 120 cm

2.

Title : SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW

Medium: Acrylic

Size: 60 x 60 cm

AUTUMN TREES

Title : Autumn Trees

Media : Acrylic on Canvas

Size : 31.0x 29.0 cm

Painted by : Fadzlan Rizan Johani

Year made : 2 November 2009

GEORGE EDMUNDS' SONG

by: Charles Dickens (1812-1870)

Autumn leaves, autumn leaves, lie strewn around he here;
Autumn leaves, autumn leaves, how sad, how cold, how drear!
How like the hopes of childhood's day,
Thick clust'ring on the bough!
How like those hopes in their decay--
How faded are they now!
Autumn leaves, autumn leaves, lie strewn around me here;
Autumn leaves, autumn leaves, how sad, how cold, how drear!

Wither'd leaves, wither'd leaves, that fly before the gale:
Withered leaves, withered leaves, ye tell a mournful tale,
Of love once true, and friends once kind,
And happy moments fled:
Dispersed by every breath of wind,
Forgotten, changed, or dead!
Autumn leaves, autumn leaves, lie strewn around me here!
Autumn leaves, autumn leaves, how sad, how cold, how drear!

THE MAGICAL FISH

Title : The Magical Fish

Media : Acrylic on Canvas

Size : 40.6 cm x 50.8 cm

Painted by : Muhammad Zulkarnain (Nine)

Year made : March 2009

Status : Private Collection

Description:

The illustration is about Nine's imaginary magical fish. In the video attached, you'll hear his explanation on his inspiration.

Story:

This is Nine's first canvas drawing. He did lot more small sketches on paper and combine painting with his brother Azhan earlier.

I give total freedom to my boys in drawing their sketches. They can choose any subject of interest, how they want to draw and as many as they want. However when they've decided to paint it on canvas they need to prove to me that their sketched idea well worth for painting. You will be amazed to listen at how they persuade me to let proceed to canvas painting.

To be honest, I always give a little pressure to them when they've started to paint on the canvas. I want them to understand the difference between sketches and final painting. Paint and canvas are not cheap and they need to value that as well. So next time when they decide to paint on canvas, they must ensure that they really want to paint it!

I saw Nine scribble a sketch of this fish on their black board at home. It is rather strange and unique fish. When I asked Nine about his painting, his explanation was even more bizarre than his painting. Based on his explanation and sketch I decided the drawing should be on canvas. He was really excited to hear that his sketch would go on a canvas. Because it is his first solo canvas, I did not put such big expectation and pressure. I wanted him to enjoy his first painting experience whilst learning to take pressure accordingly.

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HERE THE RAINBOW START

Title : Disini pelangi bermula (Here the rainbow start)

Media : Acrylic on Canvas

Size : 60.5 cm x 60.5 cm

Painted by : Fadzlan Rizan Johani

Year made : 2009

Description:

Somewhere at the beginning of a rainbow the joy and happiness grow. Here the sunflower blossoms, the caterpillar transforms into beautiful butterfly and the children found their playground. This is where flying kites could seem like touching the sky, or even making friends with the rabbits.

Do you remember the excitement you once felt as a child every time you see the rainbow? How the sight of it would make you wonder where the beautiful prism ends and the path it promises along the 7 colours. Remember how we used to see the world with pure and innocent Love in our hearts. Would it hurt us to dream and believe in something that could bring hope? The future should be as bright as the sunflowers or as high as the kite could fly.

Do we need to forget those early days when we were once called children. What does the impact it has as we embark from our childhood into the adulthood? Maybe when we become parents we should search for our childhood buried deep beneath adolescent in order to better understand our children. Knowing oneself could be a vital part to change our children's future.

Story:

It's been a very stressful year for every one whose life is affected by the economic downturn. It feels like life is just doom and gloom for most of us. Instead of capturing the gloomy feeling, I turn into remembering those happy moments in life. I hope by visualising our happiness it could be a saviour to uplift us from the misery of depression.

I've lost many friends and colleagues due to this economic mess. It is making me unhappy and at the same wonder if it'll be my turn next? Should I be worried? Or should I look beyond the dark clouds where the beautiful rainbow sits?

Whatever that may happen I pray and hope it would be for the best decision for us and open up new opportunity beyond imaginary. Thus all this happy moment should be treasured on canvas as it should not be lost within our hearts.

THE AGENT INSPECTOR-book cover

Title : The Agent Inspector
Media : Acrylic on Canvas
Size : 25.2 cm x 31.0 cm
Painted by : Azhan Year made : March 2009
Status : Private Collection, Digital image used for storybook cover

Description:
The illustration is about 3 good friends; one a chubby boy, the second a slim boy and lastly a short-sighted girl, who accidentally stumbled across an illegal money-printing syndicate.

Story:
About a month ago, a blog visitor dropped me an email requesting a drawing from Azhan for her fictional novel (age 10 -14 years). With her brief as the guiding principle, I asked Azhan to produce drawings consist the characteristics specified.

I must say it was not an easy task to make children draw within a certain boundary. It took almost a month for Azhan to come up with drawings which I think fulfil the specifications given.

It is a good advantage for Azhan to have a live assignment because it will train him to work within certain boundaries and restrictions. However before we take on the assignment I had to inform the client that I could not give 100% assurance that the artwork will be done on time or within the requirement.

One of the many reasons for this condition is because:

“One of the greatest creativity killers, however, is more subtle and so deeply rooted in our culture that it is hardly notice. It is has to do with TIME.” D.Goleman, P. Kaufman, The Art of Creativity 1992

“one ingredient of creativity is open-ended time,” Ann Lewan, Director of Capital Children’s Museum, Washington D.C 1992

Although it is good for Azhan to be able to meet the requirement but what matters most is the pleasure, not perfection.

Having said that Azhan did manage to sketch 3 drawing using his own imagination about the storyline of the book. One of them had been chosen by the client to be coloured.

Preliminary sketches

Typically, the client soon asked for some changes on the finish painting. Well, I would never bother to ask my son to change it because this will put him under pressure and worry about others' judgement (another main creativity killer). Luckily, it's been agreed that the real painting is not for trading or selling but only permitting the client her copyright to use the drawing, therefore I manage to fulfil the changes by the magic of “Photoshop”!. At the end the client was satisfied without Azhan losing interest in art. Finalised artwork

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Escaping LEGO City

Title : Escaping LEGO City

Media : Acrylic on Canvas
Size : 29.5cm x 40.0 cm
Painted by : Azhan

Year made : 2008
Status : Private Collection

Description:

The Devils have come to destroy a city. The people in the city are scared. They dashed into their houses for safety as they're about to face this great danger. At the brink of destruction, an agent jet arrives to protect them. The super jet is equipped with missile that could destroy the devils. Inside the city the police have come to protect the ordinary civilians with their shield. More help arrive in the form of ninja tank to guard the accessing road into the city.

The Agent

The Police

The Ninja

The Devils have stolen the gold from the people and try to run away with it. All the super heroes are coming together to protect the city from the devil of destruction and fight the villains in their quest to return the gold back to it's people.

Story:

This is actually the first full painting on canvas done by Azhan. It was painted in a small A3-size canvas. I believe it is a good first step for him to start with a small canvas because I will know how much energy that he could commit to a painting. This will give me a bench mark to what kind of ideal canvas size my son could cops

During that early step, he was given the freedom to decide the subject of drawing without much discussion with me. However, I eventually slowly imposed argument on him in his next painting on the choice of subject matter. This discussion on theme for the painting is important for the children to:

1. Enrich creativity

2. Build their confidence

3. Develop conceptual thinking

4. Able to negotiate

5. Understand people

Later, from this small canvas Azhan's painting skill was tested on a bigger scale. The DREAM ISLAND was the result of the test.

There are a lot more things about my boys that I'd need to learn, understand and explore just as much as I need to learn about myself. As you can see the painting that he chose is a little controversial as it features war scene. It was actually an influence of their Lego Agent series that they have. He's been sketching it a lot to illustrate the scene in his Lego land.

At the time this painting was made, he'd never seen a real life war conflict. He basically knows about a brief history of the World Wars but never seen one (we don't watch violence movie). But when the latest war conflict happens he saw it on the news. Now he sees the bruises that war left. He once asked me about it and that was how I came up with the STOP THE WAR painting.

I don't know how he feels about the ugly face of war but surely after seing it on the news, I have not seen any single sketches about his Lego agent that involve war anymore.

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