dipapansembilan: DREAM ISLAND

Name : Dream Island

Theme : Dream Home

Media : Acrylic & Tempera on Canvas

Size : 60.0 x 50.0 cm

Painted by : Azhan, Nine,

Year made : 10 October 2008

Edition : Original

Status : Available

Description :

Some friends have already seen this picture on my other blog (link) as the background of the blog's December 2008 issue(link).However I have not introduced the work properly. Actually I've suggested for my sons to draw something about their Dream Home or an island fills with joy and happiness. This perhaps has aspired them to create this painting.

Several ways or techniques had been experimented in the process of creating this painting. In this "Dream Island" I was only the "colour coordinator" as I let my sons to freely express themselves. They got to choose their own colours but I would add a few extra bit of different colour for them to mix directly on the canvas. This perhaps would make the colours more vibrant and playful and at the same time teach them about the colour wheels.

Azhan did a very good job in drafting the outline drawing before they started painting on the canvas. He sketched spontaneously on the canvas using pencil. He has already developed eyes for details and added "tiny" detail which I bet he would have difficulty to paint later on. Just name things you'd see in a city and you'd be amazed to find that playground, school, fun-fair, airport and even a mosque, had all been squeezed in this tiny paradise island. Now, that's an intricate eye for detail for a 7-year old boy.

To my surprise in the centre of the painting he put a big structure like "Eiffel tower". Like any other iconic building (statue, religious structure, bridge) it will remind us of the feeling that we felt when we get to see one in our live or hope to see one. Or maybe in this case my son drew it simply because he likes it.

The Dream Island looks more interesting with the presence of smaller island with a light house built on and another island with house on it. Azhan drew them as he knows that a light house is needed to sending out signal to the ships heading for the island. He had even thought of linking the small islands together but forgotten to link it to the main land.

A lot of the activities in this island are heavily centred on the beaches. Obviously my boys love beach just like many other kids who simply love playing with water. Most of the activities featured such as sailing, surfing, scuba diving were painted as though my boys had actually experienced them before when in reality they had never done any of those. Perhaps, in their imaginative mind they think these were the "cool" things to be endured on a sunny day at the beach.

The other young artist featured here is Nine who added his touch on this painting. In this painting he drew the activities taking place in the skies. The sun, the clouds, aeroplane, air balloon and also the rainbow. Nine loves rainbow very much that he even put the same prism on the air balloon.

Another interesting element drawn by Nine is the clouds. The different size of them accidentally give some perspective and depth into the drawing. The clouds were also drawn in brilliant unique shapes.

In conclusion, Dream Island may be seen as the key to open the door into my children's mind where their hopes and dreams for their future reside. Every time I look at the painting it makes me wonder into my own mind of the dreams and hopes that would bring me happiness. There are dreams that may become a reality in years to come, places that are scattered in great distance on the globe, hopes that will always stay in our prayers, creatures that we'd never seen or touched, holy kingdom of peace and mercy and many more hopeful wishes that take up a whole lifetime to achieve...but somehow all of these could be brought together into one small dream island which in the actual is not only located very close us but also resides firmly in our mind and soul.