The Chronicles of a Teacher #12: Appreciating Different Artworks

Scroll down for the complete artwork of this picture! :)

I came across this quote by the late Thomas Merton, while browsing for random art-based ideas for some filler lessons long before my summer break.

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time. The mind that responds to the intellectual and spiritual values that lie hidden in a poem, a painting, or a piece of music, discovers a spiritual vitality that lifts it above itself, takes it out of itself, and makes it present to itself on a level of being that it did not know it could ever achieve.”

It was on a Friday night, and I was just on the lookout for inspirations. When I saw this quote, I had to re-read it for several times. I guess my mind was taken into a whole different level of realm or perspective, and I was definitely in deep thoughts. Different pieces of artwork reflect different aspects of life, values and most importantly, the artist themselves. I wondered a lot that night... like seriously A LOT!

How significantly unique each artwork turns out to be? From just plain abstract to scenery paintings. From just black and white, monochrome to multi-coloured paintings. Yet each artwork expresses emotions, feelings and meanings explicitly. The more I ponder, the more I truly believe that creativity is just so limitless - and the beauty here is, that it is never ending. Inspirations to create artwork will be always be fresh and intriguing in the coming years from the new generation of talented artists.

That weekend, I had a friend visiting me in Thailand and he travelled all the way from Birmingham for some work-related projects here. After lunch, while walking out from the mall, we came across Bangkok Art and Culture Centre just right opposite us. My heart skipped a beat when I saw tons of gorgeous artwork here. Perhaps Life has planned it all to just want me to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of these artworks.

Please take note that all pictures taken below during the exhibition below are only for viewing, and my utmost appreciation goes to all artists and BACCT team for hosting such a marvellous exhibition! Visitors are allowed to take pictures of some parts of the gallery, and the overall outlook of the building. Their exhibits change from time to time, or season to season, honoring different sets of artists. There are some really artsy gift shops and cafes that you can visit too.

The complete artwork for the snippet picture at the top of my post :) Ain't this just so amazing?!

I shared some pictures above with my students the next schooling day, and they were super duper interested to visit this centre the following weekend with their parents. Then, one girl suddenly shouted out that they should 'paint' an artwork to show how this school year has been for them, coupling them with a short description or reflection of their artwork. We also decided to put these artworks as part of our graduation event displays, for all to see and most importantly, appreciate. Moments like these are just so heartwarming for teachers. :)

The colour blue shows my true feelings to everyone. It is how I express myself in different situations, especially in helping others. Purple shows how much I love this school. Green shows how much I love the nature. All these colours in my artwork help people to learn more about me.

The colours in my artwork shows my feelings throughout this year. Yellow is for happiness, red is for anger, orange is for how much I love the food that were made by the kitchen chefs here, green is for something disgusting, blue is for when I am sad, and finally purple is for my fears.

In my artwork, I have the colours of black, blue, purple, red, and grey. To me, black shows loyalty, blue shows obedience, red means trust, grey means friendships, and the most important one of all, purple means FOREVER. These colours and meanings of mine are my definition of this school. A healthy school for me, you and all of us. Thank you!

In my drawing, there are three different colours. Red, blue and yellow. Yellow means bright and happiness. Red means anger or bad feelings. Blue, for me, is a sensitive colour that represents sadness or fear. I combine all these colours together. What I am trying to say is that when you face a problem, you need to pass all these things in your journey. Sometimes, I experience problems like this during my years in this school. But at the end of it, I get to be super YELLOW!

Thank you for reading my post today, after not posting anything for the last two weeks due to the extreme indulgence in my summer break back at Malaysia. Haha! The pictures above are taken by my iPhone 7 plus, and some relevant pictures are also intended for #colourfulphotography contest by @juliank and @photocontests.

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