This is an interview with Dawn Tan ( now based in Melbourne, Australia ) by Kaiyee ( ( now based in London/UK ) organised by Fei ( now based in Lausanne, Switzerland )! All graduates from Temasek Poly too! Looking forward to more interviews like this!
As part of our “OIC share what you love” effort, we encourage illustrators / artists to share not just their own work but also conduct interviews, and introduce the work of other illustrators they admire or like!
Kaiyee’s Interview with Dawn Tan
Melbourne artist and crafter Dawn Tan is a self-confessed foodie with a penchant for all things yummy and beautifully packaged. Her work embraces her inspiration with home-cooking, packaging and grocery shopping. Some of which have been translated into large over-sized sculptures, art prints and accessories such as tea towels, aprons, and market tote bags.
In her spare time, Dawn authors a blog called Handmadelove. She also runs adult and children art workshops in a number of schools and private art studios around Melbourne.
Dawn and her work have been featured in various publications including Frankie Magazine, Uppercase Magazine, Gourmet Traveller and The Age Newspaper.
Ky: Hi Dawn! What are your favorite subjects to draw? Why? Do they represent you as a person?
D:
I LOVE drawing food! Well, I love food, I love cooking and all that comes with it. The recipes, the grocery shopping… So I think it’s only logical to combine such passion into drawing!
Ky: I know you teach alot of children art and painting, which is an awesome job, do you find teaching helpful in personal development ?
How so?
D:
I really enjoy teaching. I find it helps me to relax actually. Whenever I am tired or need a new inspiration, I find myself turning to teaching. Working with children helps me to generate lots of crazy wild ideas. I’m often inspired by them and their creativity and their willingness to make ‘crazy art’.
Ky:How is the illustration scene like in Australia? Having lived there for a few years, you must have a few opinions and how is it different from Singapore?
D:
I love it here in Melbourne, where I live. It’s vibrant and inspiring every different day. You get weather changes, nature changes happening all year round. Not so much like Singapore where it’s just summer all year round. Here you get all 4 seasons. It even snows up in the mountains!
I guess because of these differences, the culture, nature bits..somehow the style is just totally different? Not sure how to describe it. You’ve got to see it for yourself. But yup, both countries’ illustration scenes have their own goodness! I’m in love with both!
Ky: Talk about a piece of recent work you are proud of, and why?
D:
I recently did a burger and French fry illustration. It’s fairly simple, nothing too crazy but it’s been made into a melamine cup and plate! To be able to see my art on nice dinnerware makes me smile like a girl in a candy store!
Ky: Looking through your portfolio there are many drawings of food, any tips when it comes to illustrating foodstuffs?
D: Just enjoy! Take it easy and paint while you’re eating the item itself! Makes it more fun this way. Not only will you get to draw and smell it. You’ll also get to taste it! Haha!
Ky: Any good tips for new illustrators who are starting their career?
I’d say..Stick with your gut, and just go with what you like best and try to convince the client! Don’t just do souless stuff to please others. You need to love what you’re doing, in order to keep the whole illustrating thing sustainable!! No one stays long if they do what they hate all the time.
For a long time throughout history, Asia and it’s culture has been an inspiration on artists and their artworks. Neofolk is a contemporary art exhibition organised by Damien Brachet , Clear Editions Japan along with Kult magazine to showcase Asian influenced art works. This exhibition held in Cutlog Foire d’Art Contemporain, France includesmany talented artist from Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Taiwan, Philippines and Singapore. From Singapore is our very talented Kuanth and Sokkuan Tye. See their dedication to perfection and crafting in this unique exhibition.
Sokkuan Tye
” Kuih-muih” , 2011
Hanging Installation, Felt, Polyester and Acrylic.
5kg, 70cm X 70cm X 100cm
Kuanth
杜十娘 Du ShiNiang (Lady No.10), 2011
Xin Hua Puppet Show Installation, Wood and acrylic, animated with internal engine.
25kg, 150cm X 90cm X 40cm
Below are more details to the exhibition :
NeoFolk Paris
South East Asian contemporary art exhibition, October 19-23, 2011
Cutlog Foire d’Art Contemporain
Bourse de Commerce de Paris
2 rue de Viarmes 75001 Paris Paris, France
Throughout South East Asia since the end of the XXth century, artists have been rediscovering their roots and traditional crafts, by reinterpreting their mixed and painful pasts.
They have grown out of State-condoned folk-art and tourist-priced exoticism, and back from the counter-culture distraction of self-denying, copycat Western conceptualism. Entrenched in soul-searching identity crisis, pioneers, pillars and heralds of the local scenes have dug up their forefathers’ hand-woven, paper-cut, hand-dyed, studded, pierced, cursed and blessed techniques, which contemporary art used to look down upon as arts and crafts.
Asia is reborn of gift-shop mentalities and ridding of self-loathe, cultivating local flavours and tastes for indigenous tribal aesthetics, from ancient script and tattoos, to music, graphic design, fashion and contemporary art. Crews of grunge-skater-nerd, ghetto-punk and retro-rockabilly artists are digging back into their drawers and closets. Their art is profoundly idiosyncratic, raw in discourse, sophisticated in delivery.
It is expressionist figurative, from mutant tribalism from Taiwan and the Philippines, to street animism and folk esoterism from Indonesia, brand-new retro pop from Singapore, and graffiti opera from Hong Kong.
This is Neo Folk.
Syan aka MC Yan (Graffiti art – Hong Kong), Kuanth (Graphics and installation art – Singapore/Malaysia), Samuel Indratma (Painter, sculptor – Yogjakarta), Darbotz (Graffiti artist – Jakarta), Jam Wu 吳耿禎 (Poet, photographer, paper-cut artist – Taipei), I Made Palguna (Painter – Yogjakarta), Sokkuan (Illustrations, installations – Singapore/Malaysia), redslim08 (Visual artist – Philippines).
Interesting documentary about the sitters and the late artist Lucian Freud. Many times we are too busy looking and drawing the sitters’ exterior we may miss out on capturing the “being”.
Summary clipped from the youtube post
“Lucian Freud ‘Portraits’ is an analysis of the artist as seen through the eyes of those who have been best placed to study him – his sitters. Over a period of two years, film-maker Jake Auerbach and Freud’s biographer William Feaver filmed many of Freud’s subjects, ranging from the late Duke of Devonshire and the now Dowager Duchess of Devonshire to fellow painters David Hockney and Celia Paul; from friends such as Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles to ex-lovers, daughters and grand-daughters.”
All links and quoted text are from “artcatal” ( http://www.youtube.com/user/artcatal )
My first encounter with Mr Yamaguichi’s work was during my 1st trip to Tokyo in 2008. I noticed quite afew of his smaller works all over Tokyo but the piece that really gripped me was the one at Narita airport Terminal 1. I was amused by the clash of the traditional style with a modern twist and the detailing was amazing.
It’s great that JCC has arranged for this exhibition in Singapore – we are definitely going to attend the talk and exhibition this Sat – see the info below! Don’t miss it!
A new exhibition at Japan Creative Centre featuring Yamaguchi Akira’s solo exhibtion “Singa-Planet”. Mr Yamaguchi, one of the leading and most popular contemporary artists in Japan, will present his new artworks inspired by the lifestyles of Singaporeans living in the multi ethnic city state namely the Chinese, Malay and Indian ethnicities. Besides the new installations, selections from previous collections wiill also be exhibited. This exhibition is held as a parallel event of the Singapore Biennale 2011.
Date: Talk by Mr Yamaguchi – Saturday, 12th March 2011
Time: 2pm to 2.30pm (Please kindly register by 1.55pm)
Venue: Japan Creative Centre, 4 Nassim Road, S(258372)
Kindly RSVP to Japan Creative Centre (Fax: 6735 3602 or Email jcc@sn.mofa.go.jp) by the 10th March 2011. For more information, please contact Mr. Adriane Lee of JCC at 67370434.
How far will you go to challenge yourself and push your boundaries as a creative individual? What are the rewards that some of Singapore’s most restless designers have reaped venturing out of their comfort zone? Next up for discussion at The Design Society Conference 2011 is “Design Boundaries”, a series of experience sharing sessions with some of our top local and international creatives who have chosen to venture into unfamiliar territories – be it in a different land or discipline – and grown wiser.
Speakers include :
Chung Yew Kee /Matte, Amsterdam Steve Lawler /Kult, Singapore Yang Yeo / JWT, Shanghai and more…
Date: Saturday 19 February 2011, 10am to 5pm
Venue: LASALLE College of the Arts
Hi guys, these are some the photos for last night’s event Anitya I by The Observatory featuring our very own talented Andy Yang at Lasalle Earl Lu Gallery. Borrowing from the Buddhist mandala ritual, Singapore art-rock band The Observatory puts on a performance series exploring the relationship between music and non-musical art form. It is a unique and one of its kind live performance both visually and musically for those who were able to experience it live.
a smashing new year to all!
just wanted to share another singaporean artist i found at fridawhereareyou.blogspot.com. delicate, romantic and oddly eerie all at once… very pretty, i think.
Its so exciting! Its 2011!! Another brand new year to make more cool art and drawings!!
Here are 5 simple ideas to kick start the new year with a more “Illustrious” start!!
1- Get Involve!
If you have been to OIC’s site for a while – its high time to get be a part of the action!! Join us at our events!
Sign up for our updates on our events calendar- Every month, we host the ever popular OIC Portrait Day and the Urban Sketchers SketchWalk. These are cool ways to make new like minded friends and get you drawing! We are friendly people who draw and hope to get you hooked !
Once its done – drop us an introduction email, who you are and what you do. We are looking for friendly illustrators to feature on our site to network with. Our aim here is to share and contribute to this ever growing creative circle. So be kind to each other and do be active with OIC.
If you have any inspiring articles/ useful tips or good ideas to share- we would like to hear from you to. Any such articles we deem useful and published on our site or FaceBook wall will be properly credited to the you.
3- Spread the word!
Still not ready to draw with us but you want to be involve? Help us spread the word- blog, tweet, cut and paste our links, tell a friend or bring a friend down to our events. We need all the support and love we can get!
OICsingapore is a good place to commission illustrators for your next project! Feel free to contact the illustrators featured here directly or if you need some recommendation- just drop us an email. We hope to feature more “Made in Singapore” illustrations!
Email – “info [at] oicsingapore.com”
5- Own our art!
OICsingapore is actively looking into new ways to link up our talented pool of illustrators with new products and businesses. Do support us on our ventures – buy and support our effort to make creative projects and merchandise. Available now – Tote bags, T-shirts, Kalkitos, badges, cards, stickers and soft toys ( more to come )
Good Drawer ≠ Good Commercial Illustrator – Being Artistic And Realistic
Insights into the life of an illustrator with Sokkuan ( More info coming soon! )
Date: 23 Oct 2010
Time: 2pm – 4.30pm
Venue: The Arts House, Screening Room 1 Old Parliament Lane Admission: Free ( Need registration – see below ) Participant Requirements: Anyone interested in illustration can come. Please email us any questions which you may like the speaker to address for Q&A.
The illustration talks are open to all.
All Noise talks/workshops (regardless of capacity) require registration (email to workshop@noisesingapore.com with Workshop Title, name, NRIC, contact number).
Only for the workshops with limited capacity (our other photography workshops), will priority go to Noise members.
We encourage illustrators to connect, collaborate, share, exchange news/tips and inspire by sharing here.
Please feel free to post your new work, ideas and inspirations.
Any problems with posting or good suggestions please email us at:
info [at] oicsingapore.com
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