Alvin Mark's Blog - Behind the Art: 2018

Monday, November 19, 2018

Banda Sketchwalk 2018

I received a message from the Indonesian Sketchers some time in July. And they wanted to explore the idea of running a workshop in Banda. Hmmmm... Banda Aceh was the first place that popped into my head. Then in the following subsequently emails, I realised that the Banda we were talking about is Banda Neira island that is nestled in in the Banda Arc region, far east of Indonesia. Any farther, and we would be in Papua. It would have been the furthest part of Indonesia that I have gone. In fact, even for the Indonesian sketching team from Jakarta, Banda Neira was the furthest anyone had gone to.

Like all other trips, I have put together a series of videos documenting that very short week in the Banda islands, considering that the journey to get there for me (from Singapore) took early 2 days - the fast boat from Ambon to Banda Neira was about 7 hour long. Enjoy this back to nature trip!

What do you do when you have so many hours to kill?

Sketching Sketchers during a session with the local kids

Boat at Banda Besar

Videos from Banda:

Banda Islands - Intro

https://youtu.be/C4NcY0knd3U

Banda Sketch Walk - Ambon City

https://youtu.be/iA9fGKNTs4U

Banda Sketch Walk - Day 1

https://youtu.be/Hry04T8MBjk

Banda Sketch Walk - Day 2

https://youtu.be/c2LrFhRE1to

Banda Sketch Walk - Day 3

https://youtu.be/RA51xJcpymM

Banda Sketch Walk - Hiking Banda Api

https://youtu.be/1sYCLPMQ1Do

Banda Sketch Walk - LAST DAY

https://youtu.be/3VG1zFH5UYU

Featured Artist - Indira P. Diani

https://youtu.be/EzICFomv_ws

Above Banda

https://youtu.be/Kk0NlexjHQU

Indonesian sketchers using their time fruitfully while waiting

for the ferry boat bak to Banda Neira.

Our daily commute

Lots and lots of bananas in this part of the world

Waiting for the ferry boat at Pulau Ay

Oil sketch of Pulau Run from Pulau Nailaka

Sketch from the top of the volcano - Banda Api

I will be heading to Banda Neira again in Dec 2018. This time to really live and sketch the place. The idea is to be able to produce a sketchbook from this journey. So stay very tuned it to my Instagrams posts and Youtube Channel for updates. :)

Follow Alvin Mark:

(website)

https://www.alvinmark.com

(Facebook Art)

https://www.facebook.com/alvinmarkstudio/

(Coffee to go)

https://buymeacoff.ee/alvinmark

(inks and watercolours)

https://www.instagram.com/alfdoodles/

(oil paintings)

https://www.instagram.com/alvinmarkstudio/

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

ASIA-LINK SKETCHWALK 2018 TAICHUNG

The 3rd Asia-link Sketch Walk was held in Taichung, Taiwan this year! It was another great reason to visit Bubble Tea Land... and of course meet up with my favourite sketchers from the region. A total of 400 participants representing 21 countries took part, all the way from Russia, Netherlands and the U.S.A.!

I spent a few nights with friends in Taipei (north) before heading to the central region of Taiwan. The bus ride was very comfortable and I'd recommend that over taking the regional trains.

As usual, I will be posting highlights of the event via my Youtube links below. Within the links, you get to meet artists, hear their thoughts, see their works and explore Taichung through my eyes. So get your fingers ready to click away! :D

Asia-Link Sketch Walk Videos:

1. ALSW2018 TAICHUNG Opening (Day 1)
https://youtu.be/N6nHhGkWVP8

2. ALSW2018 TAICHUNG Day 2
https://youtu.be/-7U9dH1sTRA

3. ALSW2018 TAICHUNG Day 3
https://youtu.be/N6nHhGkWVP8

4. ALSW2018 TAICHUNG Day 4 (Houli excursion)
https://youtu.be/uyNP-myN_Uo

5. ALSW2018 TAICHUNG with Tae from Bangkok Sketchers
https://youtu.be/kzDgiTV6Qno

My friends from Taipei fed me well! :D

Noodles from the first bubble tea shop (Chun Shui Tang) ever in Taichung

Oldest artist I met this trip. He's 96! Saved an entire village by painting it.

I love collecting stamps in Taiwan. They are everywhere!

Vanont from Bangkok and his souvenirs.

Tae from Bangkok right before her sharing session on her book.

A book swap just happened.

One of the 5 paintout sessions

Sketching at Taichung Park.

万春宫 (Wan Chun Gong)

Watercolour piece I did during Vanont's workshop

Eleanor Doughty (@herbcoil) from Seattle

Panoramic sketch from Ah Tong (Kuching), Jason (Kuala Lumpur), me and Benedict (Singapore)

It was another fantastic and event not to be taken for granted and being able to sketch alongside like-minded sketchers in Taichung. I made a ton of new friends this year since I missed the event last year in Kuching. There were too many people to get to know and say "hi" to in four days. (400 participants is a pretty sizeable amount.) But I did manage to catch up with friends that I had already known or artists I have been following.

I've always thought of us sketchers being ambassadors of our countries, fostering friendship and passion for art whenever we go for such trips. Not only do we represent the Urban Sketchers Chapters from our region, but also as citizens from countries. And it is really great to see that neither boarders nor language separate us, and art that binds us all - that common language.

Looking forward to Banda Indonesia coming up shortly.

----------------------------------

Follow Alvin Mark:

(website)
https://www.alvinmark.com

(Facebook Art)
https://www.facebook.com/alvinmarkstudio/

(Coffee to go)
https://buymeacoff.ee/alvinmark

(inks and watercolours)
https://www.instagram.com/alfdoodles/

(oil paintings)
https://www.instagram.com/alvinmarkstudio/

Explore the planet with globe trotting artist Alvin Mark Tan in his Travel Sketch series. Check out the daily local scene of a village, town or city and experience the culture and food that intrinsically binds us all together. Also get insights into oil painting and ink sketching while on the fly.

Friday, August 17, 2018

Art in the Open 2018

It was another eventful painting trip to Wexford! Art in the Open is in its 11th year and is Europe's largest painting festival. Live demos and workshops stretch for over 10 days in County Wexford. This year's edition ushers in a lot of new artists both locally and from across the globe. There are also many tie-in events with the National Gallery of Ireland scattered throughout the evenings in Wexford town. Culminating with an excursion by the National Gallery of Ireland, artists boarded the Irish Rail from Wexford's O'Hanrahan Station via the scenic coastal route to Pearse Station in Dublin. Participating artists toured the latest summer show - the O'Conor and the Moderns (from Paris to Post Aven) and took part in a mass paint-out with local Dublin plein air artists at Merrion Square.

Above Redmond Square, Wexford

I vlogged each day's affairs and have organised them neatly on this post. May it be a source of archive and joy for all who watch the videos. If you like the content, I would like to invite you to LIKE the videos and SUBSCRIBE to my Youtube channel, so that the algorithms tell the company that I am working hard to provide everyone with good content. :D

If you are new to Art in the Open and want to know how to get from Dublin Airport to Wexford, do watch this. --> From Dublin Airport to Wexford via the Wexford Bus: https://youtu.be/Cjj3FJwJuZ4

Day 1 - Wexford https://youtu.be/EI3kXck2KBA

Day 2 - Duncannon https://youtu.be/-68YVxfloks

Day 3 - Artramon House https://youtu.be/LqjK7-6t0U4

Day 4 - Clonegal & Huntington Castle https://youtu.be/ntnLWsH0NBk

Day 5 - Rosslare https://youtu.be/iiHJgdVnxZY

Day 6 - Bunclody https://youtu.be/iiHJgdVnxZY

Day 7 - Quick Draw https://youtu.be/bns4jUjY5fU

Day 8 - Exhibition/ Gala https://youtu.be/WbMP5SPxM6Q

Day 9 - National Gallery of Ireland Excursion https://youtu.be/K-XgCcgYN_g

Above Wexford County https://youtu.be/PGdzou96cuY

From Arklow to Rathdrum on the Irish Rail https://youtu.be/-77Yb-vztEQ

Until the next post... ciao ciao!

That's me working on a mural near the bridge

Sunday, January 14, 2018

Painting Down Under

Hello 2018!

Perth is a short 5 hour flight from Singapore. Ever so often, I go there to visit my family. Here's a confession - it's been 2 years since my last visit. So I bought a one way ticket there.

Being down under often reminds me that I'm on a really huge planet, because at a time when many of my friends are experiencing snow and rain, it's baking in dryness and sunshine in Australia! I used to think that all I'll ever be painting are summer scenes because whenever I'm in Perth is during their summer.

I had a lot of time to catch up with family, but priority was also given to documenting my trip. I pushed the boundaries of filming documentaries while outdoors as a documentary maker with the use of drones for those gorgeous aerial footages. Not only did I make my usual on location painting videos, but also a tutorial on painting tools, and even produced a food trail! I also went painting with award-winning painter, Leon Holmes, and made a documentary with him painting in the scrubs.

For those who are video fans, this post is packed with videos! And it might be my new direction for 2018 - You Tube Videos. (Don't forget to subscribe - Youtube: Alvin Mark Studio) Painting a steam engine and riding on one, soaring over the distinctive landscapes of Western Australia, and hang out where the locals go for food... you're definitely going to find these clips informative, more so if you are an artist. :)

Here are my top 3 favourite videos from the trip: