Singapore is another small country including a large number of islands. The history of Singapore is inexorably linked to the British Trading companies who established a maritime port on this peninsula to access the riches of Asia. It accumulated great wealth and had a very organized government from the get go, which remains to this day albeit under a sovereign flag. Even before the British, it was under control of Dutch traders, and prior to that, it was a maritime hub for seafaring traders of the ancient world. Singapore was mostly spared from the first World War, but was occupied by Japan in the second World War and experienced some casualties. Exploring the geography of Singapore was rather fruitless, it seems to be incredibly dense with urbanity on every square inch, with mangroves surrounding the shore lines. Even the nature reserves appeared to be heavily manicured. One of the touristy looking areas had these tall, fake trees made of neon branches which looked spectacular against the night sky. In the painting, I made a homage to such displays, using more abstract forms and creating a simpler shape to paint. Then the branches were over painted to give the idea and the contrast. The mangroves at the water line actually represent the landscape of Singapore, with the blingy abstract trees there to awe and distract.
World Inspired Landscapes: Singapore, watercolour 8 x 10" hot press, April 2025 (No. 3877b)
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