2:00 PM, Saturday, 25 September 2021.
I went out to paint a nearby coffee shop and restaurant using gouache. I used the iron triad (terra rosa, prussian blue, yellow ochre, and titanium white).
While painting, a child approached me and asked if he could watch me work. He said was waiting for his father, who happened to be working in the parking lot of a nearby Korean restaurant. He was a smart kid, full of energy, yet very kind and polite. He had survived a lot of hardships in life. Chatting with him was eye-opening, really. (I would not post his photo to protect his privacy)
After about an hour it started to rain. The majestic tree beside us and my umbrella kept me and my lively companion dry.
The sun came out shortly. This time the umbrella could not protect me. It scorched my legs, feet, and right arm. A small price to pay for awfully good painting spot.
Many people dropped by to look at my work. Among them was a fine young lady from across the street. She introduced herself as the owner of the coffee shop I was painting. She seemed really nice, and even invited me to come to her shop after I finish painting. She stayed there with us for a while, under the blazing sun, and said she would tag me on her post.
She came back again after a while. I noticed that a lot of people came to ask her for a photo op. It turned out that she was a well-known vlogger! I was stunned.
Soon the sun started to set, casting a beautiful warm glow. Then it started to rain again. This time it poured harder, though it didn’t last long. It was getting dark too, so I rushed to finish the painting. I used dry pastels to recreate the warm glow earlier from my memory.
It was almost six when I finished the painting. I went to Ms. Seah’s shop, showed her the painting and bought an iced drink. The people there were really nice, especially Ms. Seah who even gave the kid some drinks for him and his father.
The kid happily went back to his father. I glanced at the shop again and went home.
I only went out to paint, in attempt to heal myself from a week’s amount of stress. I ended up meeting really nice people from our area. Thank you, Father for this Saturday. Will definitely go back there to hang out and meet my young friend again.
Watch the video of this fateful Saturday here: https://youtu.be/9XeN35tN0_I
Update: Ms. Seah and her sister Niana Guerrero (a popular dancer and content creator) shared the image of the artwork I posted on Instagram, thus causing it to gain more than 1,000 likes and my followers nearly doubled. Thank you, Ms. Seah and Ms. Niana, as well as all those who liked my post and followed my profile.
Sining ni Sing 