- hope;
- shortage of space; and
- potential opportunity to create income.
Why Hope?
Because "hope" was the springboard of this project.
(My) Uncle Din was in his early 50s when (out of the blue) he became an (almost) 'vegetable'. Due to stroke; in turn due to hypertension.
Hypentension and stroke is / was quite a normal phenomenon in our family. Many of our family members passed away due to this medical condition. A few more of us are suffering from high blood pressure; one way or another. It's a hereditary thing; it's a lifestyle issue also. We have to be careful.
In any case, in Uncle Din's case it's forgone conclusion. Once it happens, one has just got to live with it.
Luckily he still has use of right hand, which is important for his painting activities. And since painting has always been part and parcel of my Uncle Din's life, painting has now become an activity of hope for him for the way forward.
And since one positive thing (in this case, hope) typically leads to another positive thing (in this case, happiness), his room and my house (since Uncle Din lives with me and my family) has now begotten a new problem. That of lack of space (for his paintings)! Which now brings us to Item No 2: Shortage of Space....
Shortage of Space
We live in a detached double story house in Lavender Heights, Senawang, Seremban, Malaysia. Ref: http://www.bolton.com.my/bolton/templates/central_lavender.aspx. Although the land is of reasonable size, the house built up area is small! We can't afford to expand the house just as yet (since we'd just renovated and moved into the house anyway); more importantly, my husband and I cannot agree on how (or rather which way) we are going to expand the house! My husband thinks I am too conventional with my expansion plans and I think his plans will bring ugliness (if not just eccentricity) into architecture. Such, we have to remain status quo with our small house built up. Until we figure out......
In the meantime Uncle Din is painting away, day in day out...............
Alas....we need extra space to store his paintings! NOTE: To make matters worse, my sister who now lives in Jakarta is using our storeroom to store some of her family's things; thus taking valuable space from us.
Which brings us to the realization that perhaps we should not store his paintings; but instead, start distributing the paintings. And whilst doing that, create income for Uncle Din.
Create an Income
Life cannot be lived on hope, happiness and contentment alone. It, including the happy feelings and creative contentment (associated with finalizing say, a successful art composition) must be fuelled by Vitamin M (& M in this case is 'money').
With this realization, and the hope that Uncle Din finds further fulfillment from his painting activities and subsequent lines of income from sale of his art pieces, we have decided to create Canvascape.
How this effort will pan out, only God can and time will tell.
Let's hope for the best. Or rather, let's plan for the best.
Perhaps Canvascape will help other artists as well, whether or not they are somewhat 'physically challenged' like Uncle Din.
To the beginning of a new hope,
Lina Ford
