Hello there – it’s been a while I know and I apologies for my absence. I’ve missed several weeks of blogging/posting (for several reasons, including pure procrastination) and I’ve broken my promise of posting every Sunday. (It’s a shame because I was on a roll there for a while.) I’ve been wanting to catch up and I’ve even thought about backdating new blog posts to fill in the missing dates. (It’s my blog and I can do whatever I want.) But I’ve decided to just let it go and move on forward (and to accept the natural flow/order of my life) and to write afresh/anew from here. I do like to be organised and to have routine/structure in place (because it can make life/work so much easier) and I like to have control and order in my life. But sometimes, things are just out of my control – plans/ideas change and new unexpected things/events arise. And by being too strict/rigid to plans/expectations, it can hinder our creative process, spiritual growth and ultimately, happiness. Change is inevitable and it’s wise to be flexible and adaptable to the infinite possibilities/changes that can occur. And for this reason, as from now, I’ll be writing and publishing new blog posts whenever I can/want, and not just on Sundays. 1 Although today is Sunday. smile Believe me – this is quite a break through.
Now, about “iridescence and rainbows”. Would you believe that after just one week of posting that I was going through a blue themed art period, I was tempted to also explore an “iridescence and rainbows” theme for my still life compositions/paintings? I know – so much for a focused/dedicated idea/activity. It’s the story of my life sometimes – one moment, I’m focused on and doing one thing and the next moment, I’m focused on something else. And again, a lot of it is talk and ideas at the moment and not much real/actual action/artworks going on. A wise lady once said to me “an idea is only an idea if it’s just in your head, you need to apply and make it happen or at least write it down.” Well, at least I’m writing it down and slowly making it happen. Here’s to all the thinkers/dreamers and ideas people out there.
So what is iridescence? Wikipedia defines iridescence (also known as goniochromism) as “the phenomenon of certain surfaces that appear to gradually change colour as the angle of view or the angle of illumination changes… It is often created by structural coloration (microstructures that interfere with light)”. Merriam-Webster defines it as “a lustrous rainbowlike play of color caused by differential refraction of light waves… that tends to change as the angle of view changes”. Iridescence naturally exists, for example, on soap bubbles, oil slick, butterfly wings, beetle exoskeletons, sea shells, certain minerals, bird/peacock feathers, and as alkali formation on old bottles (as you can see in the photo above). It can also be manufactured, for example, on textiles, lenses of sunglasses and as paints or nail polish. Some decorative objects such as glassware are specially treated or “iridised” to have an “iridescent effect” such as “carnival glass” which I’m currently in awe of.
I’m fascinated and attracted to iridescence and iridescent objects simply/purely because it’s pretty and beautiful. Like many people I believe, I find its magical/mysterious rainbow-esque colours alluring and mesmerizing. Just look at it, how can you not find it attractive? They remind me of rainbows. And I love rainbows because they too are just beautiful – a divine/magical display/performance of a myriad/spectrum of colours. They’re cheerful and hopeful, fabulous and fantastic, and spiritually symbolic. They represent the bright side of life and another mythical and mystical dimension. The world is truly an amazing place. 2
So over the past month, on top of finding blue objects for my blue themed still life compositions, I’ve also been on the lookout for iridescent things and thinking of composition ideas for them. While “iridescent” objects are quite easy to come by, iridescent plants/flowers are not. 3 Although, I do like a challenge and necessity is the mother of invention. So perhaps I can also include other plants/flowers to my compositions, such as rainbow roses and/or dyed Singaporean orchids? We will see. I’m excited about exploring this iridescence and rainbows theme for my paintings. I’m still continuing with the blue theme as a side project from my regular paintings/artworks, and this iridescence and rainbows theme is yet another side project. Furthermore, believe it or not, I have other themes that I want to explore as well, including “Black”, “Green and Gold” and “Pink”. I’ll share more with you later. How excitement. As for now, all the best. π
Meanwhile, Swan was very sick two weeks ago. It started when she unexpectedly had a bad turn – she had a fit and diarrhea and was weak and unable to stand or walk. We don’t know what caused this. She’s been very lucky over her 14 years of life and has survived many traumatic near death experiences. But because she’s an older dog now (and because she’s so thin), it’s more difficult for her to recover and bounce back from such trauma. We carefully/closely nursed her back and thank god, she’s regained normal health. She’s returned to her old self and has got her regular appetite back. We sometimes forget just how old she is. She’s the most beautiful/exceptional dog and we hope she lives with us for many more years to come. She will be under constant close care and a short lead from now on. We love you so much Swanny. heart
Notes:
- Another good reason to sign up for my Newsletter. ↩
- I recently learned about fogbows and moonbows which are similar to rainbows but are as the names suggests “a bow in fog rather than rain” and “a rainbow produced by moonlight rather than sunlight” respectively. We’ve not seen these in real life together yet and look forward to doing so. I’m happy and proud to say that we’ve seen several double rainbows – ones where an equal-sized lighter/fainter rainbow exists below another (with space in between); and another where a thinner lighter/fainter rainbow is attached to the underside of a larger rainbow (sort of like a mother/father rainbow with a baby rainbow attached to it). I also recently learned that triple and quadruple (and more) rainbows exists, as shared on Instagram. Have a look Β at this #triplerainbow as an example. How beautiful/wonderful do they look? We’ve not seen more than a double rainbow in real life together yet and I look forward to our rainbow discoveries. Perhaps triple and quadruple rainbows have appeared to us before but we just couldn’t see them clearly/properly? Either way, it’s a blessing to see a rainbow in any form and I look forward to seeing and photographing more rainbows in the future and painting them. As you may know, rainbows can be easily created with water spray from a sprinkler or hose outside. Have fun. ↩
- Here’s an interesting article on why iridescent flowers are not so dramatic. So far, from my online research, iridescent plants that I know of include Begonia pavonina (Peacock Begonia), Begonia rex-cultorum and Persian shield (Strobilanthes dyerianus). ↩
Cynthia and Pet
Hi Ngeun!
It’s so great to have you back writing.
We have missed our weekly inspiration from you greatly π
We are certain that you have plenty to share with your experiences over the past few weeks. We hope that the beautiful Swan is back to her best. It’s easy to take them for granted and they become such an integral part of the family. One as beautiful as Swan would be a great loss to the planet and we are so pleased that she has pulled through once again!
Iridescence is one of those phenomena that I have always found intriguing but not really realised fully until you have pointed this out, bought it into focus (as you so often do with your beautifully radiant perspective on life).
Once again your composition is beautiful. You have enough wonderful artistic ideas for several lifetimes Ngeun, so don’t get hard on yourself if you cannot materialise them all.
We are certain that you will focus on the ones that are the closest to your divine soul and share these with us in other hybrid forms… How lucky we and the planet are to share such beauty.
For now we are celebrating all things blue and iridescent. Pet wants to go shopping for a new blue iridescent coat or scarf this week in an arty country clothing store.
How can we resist!!
We love you Ngeun and thanks for all your love and divine treasures. We cherish them greatly.
Always.
Cynthia and Pet. ππππ
Ngeun
Thank you Cynthia and Pet. <3
David
So nice to have you back online! I, too, I’m fascinated by iridescence. Two weekends ago I was in Los Angeles looking for fabric, and came across many iridescent silks. They are so incredibly beautiful! The fabric we bought for our curtains has the most unusual iridescence β it’s a deep purple striped fabric that iridesces to emerald green! I wish you could see it.
Again, glad to have you back, and look forward to more soon! Glad to hear Susan is doing well, too.
Ngeun
Hi David! Thanks very much for your comment. The iridescent silks you have for your curtains sounds so lovely! Laos produces very beautiful silks too and I look forward to asking mum for some next time we visit her for my art. Thanks again for stopping by.