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Latest Art & News
7 Jun 2009: On Vacation!
I am away June 8th to 11th. Behave!
31 Mar 2009: Catching Up
First news update on this site for 2009, and in some ways I can't believe it's taken me this long. On the other hand, this has already been a very filled, busy and tiring year so far. The first two and a half months taken up by what felt like an unprecedented amount of education/touring work (a mentally and physically challenging job), then a current (and very welcome) slowdown in that department because I'm pregnant! (As it happened, all nicely according to a fortune-teller's prediction.) That's the biggest news, and a very nice excuse to sit down and get back to more desk work (and that to me includes art). The nature of the education/touring job was draining in the best of times; this year, unfortunately, I was definitely drowning under the load until recently.
(Of course, as happens very often with jobs with high strain--sometimes when you get downtime, your body rebels immediately and gets sick, and that's been my situation so far. Combine this all with morning sickness, and just know that Janet's not been a very happy camper health- or schedule-wise.)
(Warning: technical site stuff ahead.) WordPress was removed from this site--I'm not a fan of WordPress' latest bells and whistles and while I would have preferred sticking with my older version of WP, it fell prey to hacking, and lately I've been losing patience with WP's vulnerabilities, old and new versions. There has been a spate of malicious code hacking going around non-WP sites recently as well--but relatively easy for me to fix. Anyway, my site is currently working but with a big hole where WP used to be; I'm just going to patch up my current CMS to cope. (End technical stuff.)
It's been a bit of a bummer watching the worldwide economic downturn affect millions of people, though from my personal point of view, this was a few years in the making. Speaking with various business people and vendors at conventions from 2004 to 2007, non-essential spending was already headed downhill in the US (for good and many reasons). If book vendors were hurting, I can't imagine the trend for independent artists and crafters. Well, I am in that lot, but actually being in a good place right now for completely non-art-related reasons, I'm not "hurting"... but I am sensitive to those who are, artists or not.
Anyway, this is my long-winded way of saying that I appreciate all of you who've supported my art over the years, whether with just your eyes, your words, or more! I hope you're weathering the downturn, doing well, staying healthy and all good stuff. The art on this site remains free to look at. ;) And new stuff is coming soon.
I'm on twitter as marrael. I'll add a feed here soon.
24 Dec 2008: The Big Picture (2008)
Yeah, I always try to end years on a "high note" for art, and 2007 and 2008 really saw a dearth of big paintings because I was so busy on artwork for the Surreal Botany Field Guide, besides moving, the day job, and etc. In December, no matter what, I push everything aside to make a big picture. Here's this year's: The Peacock. (And here's a page about how it was done.)
No, there's no meaning or rhyme or reason why I chose this idea to work on... I just wanted to do it because it was relatively easy amongst the ideas I've got lined up to paint...and I'm hoping 2009 will allow me to get to them! (I'm a bit doubtful, but optimistic.)
Hope you're enjoying this special time of the year, whatever you celebrate, and have a great 2009.
20 Dec 2008: Science
I can't quite get over my disbelief that A Field Guide to Surreal Botany got reviewed in Science (December 19 2008 issue), and it looks positive, by the reports I've gotten. I am a science geek but since I don't do anything science-y now by any means, that just blows my mind.
That said, I'm terribly shy with any public attention on my creative work (educational work though? not really), so don't mind me if I just crawl under a rock to hide from spotlights like this. Between us, Jason's the PR person.
Still, this is pretty cool.
20 Nov 2008: Quick Art Update
Black Butterflies was painted as a test painting on Arches watercolour paper, which I was trying out for the first time. I was also trying out to splatter and blow paint across the paper for the first time as well. It is very different from my usual stuff and may not feel very traditional fantasy art. I may just just have to create a new section on my website for such pieces.
I also now have a small store on ArtFire.com .
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who am i? why are you here?
Janet Chui paints, programs, and shows people around Singapore heritage and WWII sites when she isn't at her desk. The random quotes below come from Blue Green Planet, an environmental e-card site. Janet lists her personal and business practices on this page. Her Healthy Green Artists column can be found at EMG-Zine. She also cofounded Two Cranes Press, and edited and illustrated A Field Guide to Surreal Botany.
The time is always right to do what is right. - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Janet on Twitter
Speaking of which, we got a new vacuum cleaner yesterday. What a sexy, exciting purchase. ;P 2 Jul 2009, 11:58:52
Ahaha, I like this one: The gender politics of housework: http://bit.ly/ggkXn 2 Jul 2009, 11:56:29
Wah look at all the extra charges they get to add to my fare. And all they have to do is hide and act busy til a booking rolls in nearby. 30 Jun 2009, 22:06:14
The taxi situation in the CBD is fukking ridiculous. Took 20 min getting ignored til I was forced to book one. The bloodsuckers. 30 Jun 2009, 22:00:12
Great. More people coming on my tour this evening. I'll be lucky to get home before 10pm tonight. 30 Jun 2009, 16:00:30
No, I'm sorry. If you have land and don't have another family living below/above you, it's NOT "urban" gardening, it's suburban. 30 Jun 2009, 11:38:30
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Janet's Latest Bookmarks
The Insanity of Bottled Water - DK GreenRoots Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:47:44 +0000
Understanding atheism, the atheist strawman arguments and what atheism isn't Tue, 16 Jun 2009 08:31:38 +0000
Grew up in an environment where confessing that one was a "free thinker" or an atheist was not taboo. Two decades later, such a title just seems to invite loads of strawman attacks. It's sad that this explanation of atheism is needed!
The Feminist critique of language (googlebooks) Fri, 12 Jun 2009 05:20:58 +0000
Orange peel tips Fri, 12 Jun 2009 04:29:44 +0000
Doctors Warn: Avoid Genetically Modified Food Wed, 03 Jun 2009 08:43:34 +0000
10 Eco-Myths Busted | asia! Magazine Wed, 03 Jun 2009 05:42:13 +0000
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