The semester is almost completed. The next time I see my students is during assessment in a few weeks time. I managed to have some photo taken during the last session with some of my students at SIM University and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (Nafa). I’ve also posted the photos on my facebook (look me up, my ID is: Kamal Dollah)

I’ll have some free time now to catch up on the other things I’ve neglected. I’m going to do more caricatures and possibly work on some batik paintings before the new semester begins in July.

Ravinda Cheema asked a question on my earlier post about my MA graduation show project at: http://kamaldollah.wordpress.com/2007/03/29/graduation-show-ma-contemporary-practice/ Here is a photo to accompany my answer.

I bent the tubes and crudely connect it with a ring. On hindsight, I feel that there could be a better way by replicating the mechanism found in an umbrella.

Since I am revisiting the subject, I might as well add that my installation which opens to almost 4 metres high, fits in my back pack. Please don’t ask me how? It is designed like an umbrella - go figure.

This year’s batch of 25 students assigned to my 15-weeks graffiti workshop is not much different from the previous year. There is somehow the same mix of jokers and dreamers that look alike, but overall they are good kids. I must stress that the principal of this school is a progessive thinker and is supportive of the programme. She dropped by one lesson and told us how this year she does not even have to sell the idea like previously due to the success of last years programme which taught the kids about social issues and responsibility. It is one of the nicer school I’ve worked in and it is also the shooting location for a TV musical ‘Schoolhouse Rockz’ on Kids Central. If you watch closely, you’d probably see some of the damages done by my crew. This workshop is still ongoing so we’ll see if this years batch is better than last years.

We introduced stencil art module at the early stages of aerosol spray can technique.

Every student should be able to do a decent throw-up after lessons in graffiti techniques.

Unity Secondary School students reclaimed their library wall with a nicer mural over the previous one done during an earlier graffiti workshop session.

I volunteered a caricature drawing workshop at my art association, the Angkatan Pelukis Aneka Daya. Its a three hour session which was attend by only six person. I was a bit dissapointed at the small attendance because there was overwhelming enquiry for the course when it was published. Though small, we managed to have a good time and each of them got caricatured by me.

Throughout the year, I get numerous queries from the public requesting for me to conduct art courses for individuals. I have accumulated a long list of names . Sadly when the time comes that I announce a class, they never show up. So if you ever wondered why in the first place I am reluctant to accept individual students and only operate for schools and corporate events, its because I’d prefer to spend time with my wife and watch my kids grow rather than be stood up by strangers. Then again, if you really want to engage me for a session and can organise a crowd, we can discuss it.

This is not the first time I’ve had small audience or been stood up by students. For the love of art, I’ll do this again but only once a year. It used to be once a week in the past years but I gave up on being Mr. Nice. All proceeds for this workshop goes to the association.

It was too bright and hot when the sun shines through the atrium, that was why we drew in shades and hat. Cool hor!

Last weekend (8 & 9th March) was a busy one for me and Ruoshi. We participated in the Parkway Parade’s Art-A-Fair for the second time. This time we introduced speed colour caricature drawings on-the-spot, which was such a hit with the public that we ended up drawing non-stop from 10am-10pm. Customers were game for exaggerations and it was great fun for me to draw, good satifaction for the customers and entertaining for the other shoppers that pile up behind me and also peer down from the balconies upstairs.

Its official now. We launched our new logo at the fair.

There has been a steady increase in caricature commissions which I post here that it is distracting the contents of this art journal which document my art and art teaching activities. So I have decided to separate those posts to another blog. I will be posting all my commissioned caricatures at cartoon.sg. We’ll also have more pictures of this event there.

Schools in the north zone sent two of their best art students to Evergreen Secondary School for an intensive illustration workshop that lasted three mornings. The works produced will be published. These kids are fortunate indeed to become a published illustrator before finishing school!

They are part of a National Education (NE) project to illustrate for the book ‘NEST II’. Its a compilation of selected writings by students on NE. This year, it was decided to have an illustrator guide the students to illustrate the numerous stories instead of having one illustrator for the entire book. From a teaching perspective, it is a wonderful experience to have a full class of skillful and talented students. Yet it presents me with a new challenges in having to coach and art-direct 40 young illustrators. It is very much like managing my final year illustration major at Nafa but double the trouble

Participants mind mapping the stories to be illustrated.

They could still manage a smile after 3 days of intensive work.

I was greeted this morning with this sight. Its an original Chinese watercolour, though I did not have time to study by whom (like as if I would know), judging by the scale of it, somebody obviously paid good money for this at one time. It makes me question the value and relevance of art. I wish I could elaborate more about my thoughts, but I suppose its obvious to see that a painting to most people is just another home accessory that gets discarded when its no longer en vogue.

It was a day set aside for exposing students of Dunman High to the diversity of art. Our graffiti programme was very well received with 120 students signed up. Participants were exposed to the history and practices of graffiti vis-a-vis, street art followed by a hands-on session in stencil art within a short period of two hours.

Most people think that graffiti is easy because they have seen it being done with ease. We knew better and were not expecting any fantastic work of art from these JC students but rather, our objective was to make students aware of the world around them and expose them to a new experience. In the end they would appreciate that graffiti art (writing) requires a lot of passion, strength and skills. It is from this experience that we filter the better students to develop their interest in hopefully future engagements.

The stadium turn out to be a great venue for teaching spray can techniques.

All news is on this man Mas Selamat Bin Kastari who escaped from an Internal Security detention facility on 27th February 08, 4.05pm. He is still at large nearing a week. He is the suspected leader of a terror cell that was uncovered after 9-11 for trying to sabotage public facilities. How he managed to escape has baffled authorities. Never have I seen such a massive manhunt. His mugshot is posted all over the place, even the telcos has sent out MMS of the photo to all its subscribers.

Singapore is a very densely populated place where it is almost impossible to avoid contact with people. How a high profile fugitive could elude detection this long is bizarre. As an artist, how could I contribute in this situation? I have read of research in UK proofing that caricatures are more effective at jolting peoples memory of a face than the existing police photofits system. Read the article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/nov/26/ukcrime.humanbehaviour

There are photographs of him off course, but a mild caricature seems to help in memorizing the features. Here is my quick take of the most wanted man in Singapore with watersoluble Graphitone.

Extract of article from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/nov/26/ukcrime.humanbehaviour