Rainforest canopy & another nude & other medium (chocolate)

Hi,

I have decided to go back to a medium that I have a sentimental relationship with - Soft pastel.

Quite a tricky medium. Depending on the surface that you are applying the soft pastels, it can be quite hard to control and tame but it gives absolutely wicked blending with unexpected results. I likened it to the taming a wild beast but if you treat it with love, it will love you back :)

My first offering is entitled 'Rainforest canopy' - soft pastel.
A painting inspired by my various visits to the rainforests in Sabah and Sarawak. I tried to capture the energy that I sensed while I am the forest, which is not necessarily dark and mysterious but more of shapes and vibrant green hues.




I have revisited the nude - 'My lady asleep' - soft pastel.
Another black and white number but she is softer and hopefully, I have conveyed a sense of peace on her facial expression.



A change of medium....chocolate! I call it 'A Christmas affair'.
Never worked with chocolate but I was quite curious in how one can play with it. With rudimentary tools ie. homemade baking paper piping bag, I managed to come up with a very very basic attempt of a Christmas trees and cherry baubles.

Flower power and nudes :)

Hi everyone,

It has been awhile since I posted any paintings. Since my return from Europe, I have secured a job and it has been busy. I have since settled and is inspired by the Sydney colours, sun and the chill.....

Yes, Sydney can be cold. For a person that does not believe in central heating, it has been cold just sitting on my sofa; I can see my breath in my living room. I am determined to not succumb to the temptation of buying a heater...just yet.

ART

The first piece is a study of a reclining nude. I plan to use acrylics on canvas for the actual piece.




My second piece is called 'Bunga', which translates to 'Flower' in Malay/Indonesian. The medium is acrylic on canvas. I hope to produce a series of paintings focussing on the flowers of South East Asia. Watch this space.

The next few paintings come my own private pieces. Hope you enjoy them.

'Diana', Pastel

Plants of Fairmont, Pastel.

Forests of Leura, Pastel.

Flowers in bloom, Pastel

'Tropical storm abrewing in Kinamount, pastel.

Volcanic impulses

It has been a while since my last post but like many journeys, there have been many peaks and troughs and mine is no exception.

First of all, I have been asked to put up a smiling photo of me by my mate, Tom Wishart, photographer extraordinaire http://www.onethousandwords.co.uk/

Here it is...

This photo is taken in front of Chepstow castle, Wales.



Ash Machine
(Pastel)

Like a lot of people, I too, was affected by the volcanic ashes from Eyjafjallajokull, Iceland.

I painted 'Ash Machine' to describe how I felt about the situation. The 'Ash Machine' represents Eyjafjallajokull, releasing its voluminous gases and ashes, affecting human faculties and functions; causing chaos in the business of men and their pursuit for monetary gains.

Flow
(Pastel)


I took about 2 days to finish 'Flow'. As my trip came to an end, I realised that being a full time artist might not be a plausible option at this point in time.

'Flow' describes the peaks and troughs of my thoughts; red, yellow, orange - colours that dominate my mind. The contour lines describes the mountains of my thoughts and yet they are contained by the undulating red ribbon.

Colours of Blighty

I shall put in a smiling photo in my next blog.....

I am currently in Leicester and staring at the park next to Leicester university.

I have always liked the moody colours of winter England. The autumn-winter darker hues probably inspire me more than the chirpier spring-summer days. As much as I enjoy spring, where the purple, white and red wild flowers begin to sprout from the ground, the darker winter colours remind me of resilience, survival and hope.

I have posted my latest offerings below. Hope you all enjoy them.

Medium - Pastel

I dedicate this painting to Anne Matthews, my former boss who is from Leicester. It is simplistic but I wanted to capture the core thoughts I had about the park, which were the trees, the nurturing grass, the unstructured sky and the ubiquitous football post :)

These next 2 paintings were produced in Sydney but I have not posted them yet.

Welcome to my first post

Hi everyone

First, please ignore the rather pretentious pseudonym. Efroix came from a name that I had to create while playing a video game back in the nineties and I guessed it remained :)

I created this blog because I was getting frustrated with my attempt to create a website using google's sites tool.

"How do I change the images on the template?!?"

After an hour of fiddling, the eFroix - Journey to artistic freedom was born *grin*

My name is Ephrem Sitiwin (a STRONG Jewish - Catholic name..) and I am 36 years old. I have had many jobs...Legal clerk, Biotechnology researcher, Travel writer, English and Science teacher, Communication consultant, Volunteer at a coral reef rehab centre, Biomedical engineering research assistant, Project Manager / coordinator, Bar tender, Singer, Data researcher / analyst and currently, Business and test analyst. Art, music, writing, figuring things out (science) and earth conservation are my true passions.

This blog aims to publicise my paintings and sculptures. Come along with me as I explore this facet of my life journey.

My Art

I love to experiment with mediums and I don't hesitate to mix them. I typically describe my art as abstract. However, I generally don't label them as I like to explore human shapes and landscapes as well. Since I was a child, I like to create pieces that allow me to discover characters within the painting viewed from alternate angles. This stems from my love for finding shapes in clouds as no shapes are pre-defined or destined. It is up to you to discover them for yourselves.

I am also into creating baskets out of newspapers. As a base material, rolled up newspaper is so durable. I have used some of my newspaper baskets for more than 7 years.

My art pieces are for sale (unless specified otherwise).

Medium - Acrylics / oils / water colour combined

(Not for sale)

(Not for sale)

Medium - Pencil / watercolour

(Not for sale)

Medium - Pastels

(Not for sale)

Medium - Water colours

Medium - Newspaper, Recycled material