Sara Lov – Fountain
animated by Seonna Hong.
Used to be
because it felt like
redemption
for things we did
and didn’t do.
because it seemed cold
but it’s warm within.
but now only as change
from a sunny day..
Everything is soul and flowering…
~Rumi
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Bright, quirky, happy, and extremely sticky… the underlying sweetener that prods and gels catmaSutra 6 into existence. In preparing for Six Appeal, somebody has turned the hour glass upside down … night becomes day… and mornings slip away before I can shake my dreams away. It’s the sweetest constellation, regulated not by the ticking of the clock, but by an ‘unnatural’ natural rhythm (the stoned-out vampire syndrome). The rainy days are a plus, beating down the incessant heat with its own intense outpouring. The strong thumping of the rain in the early morning hours, in the afternoons and the nights exudes a weird sense of completion. Haha I have taken so many photos of the rain that I can probably do an album on the theme soon. Along with scouting for music (for music that resonates is the sound of the soul), listening to the rain, painting and watching the entire range of activities my cats go through (which ain’t that many, considering their favourite zzz pastime)- this is truly the sweet taste of freedom.
Have a beautiful vision.
So this is the theme for catmaSutra Six Appeal, finding that quirky, delightful feeling that makes you contemplate and believe that things can be transformed just by holding on to a vision; for an artist, how an empty canvas can be transformed by an idea, into the sweetest constellation – the personal configuration of stars that allows us to move in the way we want. All we can do is believe and follow the signs, or as the catmaSutra cats would have it, the code of Meowism…
Everything is soul and flowering…
~Rumi
was suspended temporarily pending further investigation…
As I happened to wake up late in the day Angel, who I’m sure had vowed at the spur of the moment never to ever deal in that area, decided to take his business elsewhere. We were pretty upset with him, as this was the second time in two weeks. We have to strip the mattress and cushions, scrub and spray smell-curbing chemicals and personal cologne , sun (which is hard to come by in the last couple of days), and finally add a touch of Bengay cream (actually it’s for muscle ache) to sufficiently mask the stank of below-the-table business.
After serious deliberation, Angel was let off with a stern warning and found “not culpable in the first degree”. We were away for a few days in the first instance and hence not around to be his efficient toilet keepers. He got away the second time as it was quite evident that he was under considerable duress and accepted that it was all a case of bad timing.We also refrain from calling Halo as co-defendant for this smelly episode.

called “peace and happiness”
for Truffles and Silky, aka Paul and Helen
It’s a great thing that in commissioning the painting,
they have decided to go for the catmaSutra cats
rather than straight portraits of their cats.
Without the spirit,
there is nothing else…
Freshness comes from there. We’re given the gift
of continuously dying and being resurrected.
catmaSutra cat art exhibition, From the Depths of My Lullaby:
Lotus Lullaby
~ Mahatma Gandhi
this much concerned with animals suffering?
Because government is not. Why not?
Animals don’t vote. ~Paul Harvey
Angel, my blue Russian has taken an instant liking to a key-chain teddy bear that I brought home, and as we adjourned into the yard, he has taken upon himself to carry the teddy bear to near where we sat, half-looking at us, hoping that we’ll play catch again. Haha, he’s looking for it now although I have hid it before he pulls out the limbs…
10% goes to Cat Welfare Society
we have the freedom to choose…
to love, protect, care OR to fear, hate, abuse
How we choose
Paul koh’s paintings are sure to put a smile on your face. Cats with ear-to-ear grins add a light-hearted touch to each of the acrylics in his CatmaSutra series, so named because it is meant to depict the different positions and attitudes of his signature animal.
“Through the years, the CatmaSutra cat has evolved its own story. It’s almost alive in its own way, snuggling into different situations and making itself comfortable at every instance,” said Koh, who has been working on the series since 2004.
“Its big smile, or the eyes-wide-shut and ear-to-ear grin, represents a deep- seated childhood innocence cum devil- may-care bravado.”
Koh’s latest artworks will debut at Harbour City’s Gallery by the Harbour in Tsim Sha Tsui tomorrow. The show, “From The Depths of My Lullaby,” will feature 25 paintings until July 28. The imperturbable cat is everywhere – stuck in a Chinese soup jar, sleeping on a lotus leaf or playing mahjong.

The quirky style in the paintings is based on the personality of Koh’s two pets, Halo and Angel. He reckons the series is as a gateway to a new space, a wonderland where emotions are innocent enough to run free, and dreams more than just make-believe.
At times, Koh pays tribute to the masters by having the cat sailing under the great wave of Katsushika Hokusai’s famous painting, taking a coffee break at Vincent Van Gogh’s yellow house and hanging on in a Piet Mondrian composition.
“It’s a way of immersing myself via the cat into the classic paintings I love. In the explorations, the cat is the navigator and we are hitchhikers, grateful for directions in a perfectly innocent and weightless realm,” said Koh.
Having grown up with cats his entire childhood, he finds his paintings were inspired by his association, friendship and understanding of the felines.
“The cats in my home were not house cats. They were free to roam wherever and whenever. They were independent individualists, and freedom was their modus operandi. Wherever they are, they seem capable of being happy,” he said.
The paintings are priced between HK$5,400 and HK$12,100, and there are collectibles such as tote bags, keepsake boxes and coasters.
Said Koh: “Honestly, it’s a bittersweet feeling when the paintings get sold. Each of them is dear to me as it is a tribute to a happy story that’ll put a smile on our faces. I grew up with cats and I hope each CatmaSutra painting rekindles a little of everything that we believe to be true as children.”
Date: July 4 to 28
Time: 11am to 9pm
Venue: Gallery by the Harbour
(Shop 207, Level 2, Ocean Center, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui)
Inquiry: 2118-0090
I have lost my rhythm and I was trying to find it back. It won’t come, of course. That’s not how rhythms work. It has to do its thing first. The journey is to find it back. We all do this one time or another (or maybe it’s just me for I can’t live on the surface of things). Like most things, when you look for it, it’s not there but when you’re ready (and perhaps not expecting it) it appears. I saw a little boy at the supermarket yesterday, standing still. Amidst the maddening crowd, this little kid was there holding up a single prawn with his fingers, slowly rotating and looking at it from different angles. I stood there for a while, watching him and I realized he was completely captivated by the prawn. It was almost as if he finally understood what a prawn really is. The mother returned with a disapproving look and sent him off to wash his hands – the real world beckons – there is no time for magic.
I sell magic beans ’cause I believe in them. It’s not something that you keep to yourself. There’s just no fun in that. Besides, it helps me to believe in them. See the eyes sparkle for an instant, feel the heart open a little – there’s the magic, however fleeting. Alas, if you’re like most people (or like Jack’s mother) you probably throw them away. There is no place for magic. I sell magic beans because one day when you look at your backyard, you may be able to see a huge beanstalk growing; and if you’re lucky enough you could even climb it, steal a glimpse above the clouds. It’s hard to believe in magic when no one else believes in it. Yet we all believe in it once upon a time.

Many times I’ve told myself not to sell magic beans anymore simply because there are no takers. What’s the point? Why do I care? There’re so many things on sale these days. No matter how many were bought, the shelves keep filling themselves up (almost like magic). Where do all these things go? If that’s not enough, we have the 24-hour Valium of the television to lose ourselves in.
“If everything I have become were not machine-made I
might be able to take the risk of being human with you.”
~Jeanette Winterson
Collect all 5 elements from the catmaSutra ‘Enlightened Series’
(Highly recommended: the keepsake boxes, tile coasters, and framed tiles!)
Many an artist have been inspired by the gentle beauty of water. Aaron Lye (for PURE magazine Oct-Dec 2008) talks to artist PAUL KOH about how water inspires him in his art.

Many an artist have been inspired by the gentle beauty of water. Aaron Lye (for PURE magazine Oct-Dec 2008) talks to artist PAUL KOH about how water inspires him in his art.
So Paul. Tell us a bit about yourself. I have always been interested in drawing since I was a kid. I have no idea where that inclination comes from, but I always preferred looking at pictures and drawing them rather than reading books. Of course, the belief then as is now, is that art has no viable career path. It took me a long time to come back to it, and as it happened, I started work as an editor for a publisher of children’s books, and that opened my eyes to a rich and multi-layered world of illustration and magic. I started clamoring to do some of the illustrations, and in my next job, I got involved with web design. That’s when I knew this is where I want to be. They’re two different things, art and design, but they belong to the same family tree.
How did you first find yourself getting into art? Where did your love for painting come from?
It’s a natural inclination. I’m the only one in my family who has this passion. As a child, I’m already very visual. It’s a more emotional and direct way of expression, especially when you have a vivid imagination. I think drawing or art has a more direct relationship with imagination. When you are using your imagination, you’re more likely to think in pictures than words. Even now, I don’t really ‘read’ magazines but ‘consume’ the emotional content of the images. So my love for painting comes from this desire to make my imaginings come true, so to speak.
I understand you’ve experimented with a unique, abstract style of painting that makes use of water. How did this start? Where did the inspiration come from? Can you describe the process of working in this style? When I was working on “Fluid Abstractions”, it was a platform for me to become more intimate with the act of painting. You become an extension to the painting process. As you delve deeper and deeper into an art piece, you begin to explore your relationship with it. Brushes are used as whips, hands as brushes, water as paints. The spontaneity becomes important; the ‘natural’ way in which each painting reveals itself becomes the source of inspiration and creativity. Water – its fluidity – becomes central in developing this series. One of the inspirations comes from trying to fuse Chinese ink brush paintings with abstract art.
In your opinion, what is it about this particular style that makes it stand out from more traditional methods of painting? It alludes to the mysterious space between matter and spirit. There is a gap separating the intent of the artist, and the spontaneous manifestation of the paints on the canvas. It is a very intuitive mode of painting even though it can be frustrating. It can take you round and round until you are able to find it in yourself to say that it is finally finished, that it has reached an agreement with your heart and emotions.
Do you still use this technique in your paintings today? Has it influenced your later works in any way? I still use certain techniques in my later works. It becomes part of my repertoire of adding depth and texture, especially the pattern and flow of water.
Tell us a bit about your more current works – the Catmasutra series of paintings. Well, I have been illustrating since young, and growing up with cats means that my two passions seem destined to be linked together. And it did – when my first painting of a happy cat was sold in 2003 from the exhibition, Project Mooch. The first Catmasutra exhibition in 2004 was a sold out, and the series developed from there. For me, Catmasutra is about telling a happy story, a reminder to see the positive side of things, and even possibly the magic in between. I take stuff that we commonly come into contact through our surroundings, the media, etc. and present a moment in a story that is personal and yet universal. I’m fascinated with the flow of energy that vibrates in between, that blurs the line between reality and myth, between the power of everyday and the power of imagination. I conceptualize Catmasutra as part of this in-between world. The “eyes-wide-shut” and irrepressible “ear-to-ear” grins of the cats are representative of this energy – that in spite of life’s imperfections, there is always a positive side, good enough for a smile!
I’ve noticed that quite a few of your Catmasutra paintings feature water scenes. Any particular reason for this? I love the spontaneity and fluidity of water. This was evident in the Fluid Abstraction series and this follows through to the Catmasutra series. Personally, I love the sky and rain. Water has a calming effect, rain a redemptive quality and sky, freedom. These are the most beautiful things and they are always here with us. Perhaps that’s why, inadvertently these elements find their way into many of my paintings.
What do you usually do for inspiration for your art? I get my inspiration from everywhere, magazines, movies, art, design, illustration, popular culture, etc. There are a myriad of energies all around us, so we can tap into these energies, distill them and re-energise them in a way that works for ourselves. In essence, there’s beauty and freshness everywhere once we choose to see it.
Where’s your favourite water-related location in Singapore? In the world? I love Marina Bay, especially the view from the highest point of the ECP, where the city looms in front, flanked by the bay and sea beyond. As for the world, it has to be Venice. It has a unique colour, a reflective luminance unlike any other city.
Singapore is considered one of the most efficient countries in the world. Just as this systematic efficiency has brought us success, it has also left an indelible imprint on our subconscious, where “truth” is seen and valued in terms of a prescribed path to success and happiness. This exhibition, “Imagine-Nation” asks us to look within instead, to listen to our own thoughts for a change, and plant these thoughts and consciously choose the path that we really want to take. Inherently, it attempts to expose our collective delusions about the”pre-programmed” nature of our life, and the prescribed notions on the best way to live…
Using the Catmasutra cats in social and surreal settings, this collection aims to provoke thoughts about our lives in our urbanized city in a quirky and irreverent way. References from popular and local culture are used and weaved as a counterpoint in each painting. The essence of the Catmasutra cats is based on their eyes-wide-shut, ear-to-ear grin, which translates to a deep-seated childhood innocence cum devil-may-care bravado, with a healthy dosage of self-belief and unpretentiousness… This serves as an anchor for all of Catmasutra paintings…
CATMASUTRA : IMAGINE-NATION
6th – 17th AUGUST 2008
@ FORTH GALLERY
69A pagoda street
Opening Hours:
Tuesday to Sunday 1130am to 7pm
Monday and public holidays by appt only
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More about the new paintings soon…
Free wallpaper: 1280 x 1024 | 1280 x 800
“When you realize how perfect everything is,
you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky“
- Gautama Siddharta.
This is the premise of “Cloud 9″ a Catmasutra painting done in the 2006 exhibition. As this catmasutra cat knows, the purpose of life is to climb the sky and find a great big Cumulus cloud to sleep in. So use this wallpaper as a reminder to put a smile on your face, and if you don’t feel like it , just visualize floating and lying on one of those fluffy incarnations in the sky wahahaha!
“We had the sky up there,
and we used to lay on our backs
and look up at them,
and discuss whether
they was made or just happened”
- Mark Twain
Well, that to a degree, reflects my fascination with the sky. And strangely enough, it is the cat that taught me how to appreciate the sky. Remembering as a child in the yard of my grandma’s house, lying on the bleached dry cemented floor, watching the wet clothes swaying, half revealing and half waving the clouds goodbye, like a peek-a-boo of sorts. It all started with a promise made with the cat, that when we meet here in the yard, we would just stretch out and do nothing; we would watch the sky, enjoy the moment till one of us decides to call it a day. I kept wondering how wide the sky is as you can see it curve away down below you and beyond. And you wonder if it is the same sky on the other side.
“In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west;
people create distinctions out of their own minds
and then believe them to be true.” – - Gautama Siddharta.