Play It Forward Singapore is a public piano initiative founded by Singapore musicians who work with local artists, designers, and creative talents to refurbish old, unwanted pianos into artistic playable installations. The public pianos are displayed in various parts of Singapore for anyone to play at any time of the day. This initiative is made possible with the support of the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore's Our Favourite Place programme.

When I was asked to do this piano-painting for Play It Forward Singapore, I did a quick site visit to Marina One Residences for inspiration. Right away I was drawn to all the tropical greenery of their public woody garden. Aptly named The Green Heart, with close to 400 plant species, it is right in the middle of their residential and office towers, and serves as Marina One’s beating heart (and lungs). And so I thought my design ought to both blend into all the flora and celebrate it as well.

This was a community project that I was sent to Vietnam for, along with two art volunteers, ANG HWEE CHIEH and BOON YEE TEO. Originally the Da Nang Oncology Hospital simply wanted large paintings made by various artists from around the world to fill their blank hospital walls. But then our group suggested we involve the hospital volunteers and patients in the creation of the artwork so that it would be more meaningful.

The lotus is the Vietnamese national flower and symbol for hope, purity, and optimism for the future in spite of obstacles. We took a 1 by 1.6 metre lotus drawing and broke it up into 40 canvases for everyone, including the geriatric and pediatric patients to paint on. In the end, it came together like a puzzle or mosaic that formed a unified image. Click here for more snapshots of the process, as told by the Da Nang volunteers, and here for local news coverage. 

Graffiti session with THE BLACKBOOK STUDIO and graffiti artist and illustrator Pratama Eka Dharma aka @PEDMONS

A live art jam piece created alongside artist-friend and fellow abstract-expressionist painter ELVIN JOHN VILLAR. The painting was auctioned off for charity at Hotel Vagabond’s To Be Fair: A Night of Art and Auction for the betterment of Gender Equality, in support of AWARE Association of Women for Action and Research Singapore and the Daughters of Tomorrow organisation.

In 2012 I travelled to the Babuyan Islands, one of the furthest, most remote northern parts of the Philippines to be part of a humpback whale expedition. I was with environmentalists, photographers and artists, all who wanted to see these creatures first-hand, and reach out to the communities there as well. As part of engaging with the people of Babuyanes, we visited the schools, donated books and supplies, and created this wall mural, headed by art activist A.G. SANO, commemorating our love and respect for the animals and natural surroundings of the area.

For a children's bedroom in Bonifacio Global City. It started out initially as a simple mural of tree with autumn leaves, with the lake, clouds and Calvin & Hobbes characters added later on.

This started out as a doodle in brown marker by MIG BLANCO. After outlining, I did the rest of the paintwork, colour, and filled in the details and tonal value. I wanted it to pop out, and look like a bold L.A. Ink tattoo.

Artist PIAGET MARTELINO has a knack for working with organic shapes. For this piece, he laser-cut a large, thick sheet of wood to his desired shape, and glued on protruding portions. We decided to stay within this 4-colour palette and freestyle-painted the wood during a live art jam at a Kyss Bar event series called The imagi:NATIVES Eclectic and Experimental Art/Sound Sessions; Makati City.

My friend Ziggie Gonzales had a dream of opening a chain of affordable surf hostels around the Philippines. in 2011, he invited several artists and friends to paint the first CIRCLE HOSTEL in Zambales as it was being built. We were given free rein to paint whatever we wanted, wherever we wanted. A few years down the line, he opened another branch in La Union, and then Baler.

PSYCHEDELIC SUN TURTLE in Circle Hostel, Zambales; and WAVES OF SMOKE in Circle Hostel, La Union