Saturday 1 October 2016

A View From Fort Canning

Our final evening in Singapore, in July 2010, was spent in Fort Canning Lodge; a place I would thoroughly recommend for those travelling on a budget. 

The view from the hill was memorable and I have used these memories as the inspiration for this art work.

View From Fort Canning
Roger Smith - 2016
Art Print - Copies available here.
Fort Canning is one of the few remaining elevated natural places in Singapore.  Early illustrations show several more hills, but these have been leveled over time for land reclamation and city development.

Copies of this art work are available as prints from my online store.

I also place them on this Pinterest board.

Thursday 30 June 2016

Fort Canning History

I hadn't realised that Singapore' Fort Canning contained a large cemetery years ago, but these images in the Straits Times shows what the place was like in the past and what it is like now.

Fort Canning is one of those places that one feels a deep almost spiritual connection to; now I know why.

Fort Canning then


Fort Canning now

Friday 27 May 2016

New Singapore Art Prints


Check out these my Singapore art prints on this Ppinterest board

Saturday 9 April 2016

Old Singapore - New Book

I have just produced a publication showcasing old Singapore postcard images.  It's quite fascinating to see how Singapore was in days past.

Click on the book to view of use this direct link.

Tuesday 22 March 2016

The Art Of Golf - When Twin Passions Come Together

I have written before about my my late and growing interest in watching the LPGA. The main reason for this 'sporting flowering' being the rise and progress of New Zealand's own golfing superstar, Lydia Ko.

To see someone so young achieve so much, in such a short space of time, has been quite extraordinary.  She is a credit to her family and a proud Kiwi, which her adopted country greatly appreciates.

A growing interest in golf reminded me of the unique shape and patterns of golfing paraphernalia and the figures in action which lent themselves to artistic interpretation.

The result is this coffee table book which records recent art works based on a golfing theme.  As I stated in its introduction I make no apologies for the eclectic mix of styles.  They were used as the mood took me!


Click on the book above to see a preview or go directly to the publishers here. The art works illustrated in the publication are also available as quality prints from TheGolfStore.

Wednesday 24 February 2016

Digerarti IV - New art book

My new art book published today. Click on the pages to view the contents

Wednesday 17 February 2016

How Kiwis Can Watch The Australian Women's Golf Open Live & For Free!

In December 2015 Coliseum Sport Media promised that Kiwis could watch Lydia Ko's title defences Live & Free through their streaming service WorldGolfPass.com.

They have honoured this pledge and here is how you do it:

Step One:

Go to WorldGolf Pass.com






Step Two:

Click on the subscribe button which will take you through to here.






Step Three:

Click on 'Single Week Pass' to highlight it and then click 'Subscribe Now'.








Step Four:

Add the promotion code ausopen16 into the package selected panel and click Check.

Then complete the World Golf Pass Registration online form or sign in if you are a current user.

If you already have an account simply sign in.












Now you will be able to see the golf rounds live and for free. That's all there is to it, except to say #GoKo !

Wednesday 27 January 2016

Gullible Gourmands And Other Pretensions

The world's most expensive ice cream, according to a television programme I recently watched, earns its title due to the fact that its ice is sourced from the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.

The appropriately named Absurdity Sundae made from this ice cream is a mere 'snip' at $US 60,000 per serving.  Just how pretentious is that, and how jaded must be the appetites of the nouveau riche!

The Absurdity Sundae
Mind you, the sundae in question does come with a first class ticket and a souvenir t-shirt.

In keeping with these these gourmet pretensions I thought I would suggest a couple of equally far-fetched additions to the menu:

  • The Salty Caramel Surprise -  using sea salt scooped up from the depths of the Mariana Trench by a replica of Jules Verne's Nautilus.
  • Roar Coffee  - forget the Vietnamese weasel coffee, kopi luwak, made by collecting coffee beans eaten & passed  through wild civets.  My version is made from beans eaten and excreted by a reverse engineered chicken-to-dinosaur.
What all of the above goes to prove is that some people have more money than sense.  I would suggest the super rich try a good New Zealand hokey pokey ice cream.  It even tastes good when served in a private jet.