As the world grounded to a halt during the pandemic, I turned to painting, experimenting with new mediums and colours with my new-found time. My colour experiments soon turned into a weekly escape: one where I gladly lost myself in a world of wonderment. Amidst the joy and beauty of my own creation, I found peace. It was a temporary outlet, but no less blissful. It is a time and space that I’d carved out for myself, where I was unaffected by the volatile changes occurring outside.
When asked about what I could do with the collection of paintings that I had rapidly produced from painting every weekend for months straight since lockdown, I contemplated hard. I knew it would have to go beyond mere wall art. I wanted my paintings to be a manifestation of what art had been to me: a companion.
That was when the idea of merging paintings with journals materialised. You see, journals and diaries have been a constant throughout my life. They've witnessed milestones and listened to my trials and tribulations. Wouldn't it be wonderful to close a day of thoughtful writing with images of dreamy illustrations, leading you off to sweet dreams?
What followed after the birth of this precious idea were nine months of sourcing and experimenting with different varieties of art paper, and the most advanced print mastery. I am determined to create a one-of-a-kind cover that would pick up the vibrant colours the way I wanted, on textures that trigger the emotions I wanted to convey. My goal was to make the prints so vivid that they would look like someone had just painted on the notebook's covers, drawing out an array of emotions from the owner.
With that, I am so happy with what GML Gallery is offering today. It is my sincere hope that my illustrations and the premium papers will make our notebooks a quintessential, safe haven for journalers, diarists, and storytellers alike.
