Hi! Thank you for visiting my art website. My name is Seamus (Рафаэль). On this hobby site, you will find some of my tiny brush paintings and calligraphy, either as reference, or for sale.
I have painted since I was very young, and was an early graduate of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Art (NAFA) in 1979, a fine art college in Singapore. I am also a potter, specializing in sculpting clay figurines, although these days I focus on Chinese painting.
This website features some of the mini paintings. The paintings are typically A5 in size (5.8 x 8.3 inches, or 148 x 210 mm). I may paint larger paintings in the future, if I go full-time. For now, A5 paper is portable for me as I move about.
I also dabble with Chinese calligraphy, of the Traditional Chinese script especially. These are created on my smartphone on the road. I tend to write one character at a time, and then write a short blog or commentary on why I wrote this character.
However, if you want commissioned art and calligraphy, than I can be flexible to take on projects of any sized medium.
I make my paintings approachable in pricing, so that everyone can enjoy having a painting for your desk (at work or at home), on a coffee table, or even on the wall. The paintings are generally delivered UNFRAMED, since everyone may have personal preferences to the frame design or material.
Do note the prices are in SGD (Singapore dollars). The rough equivalent pricing in USD (American dollars) are:
SGD $599 (roughly US$ 435)
If you would like a painting framed, contact me for custom pricing (which includes sending the painting to the framer, and additional shipping costs).
I have categorized my paintings into 2 types:
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Podvig (Christian-themed paintings)
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Prosto (ordinary themed paintings)
“Podvig” is a Slavic word, which is kind of hard to explain in English, which tends to be more limited compared to Slavic languages. The short answer for “Podvig” is “spiritual struggle”. You see, in Orthodox Christianity, we as the faithful need to struggle against ourselves and our own inner issues to go towards and grow closer to God. It is a daily struggle to grapple with our own pride, our own inclinations, our own laziness, etc, and to find excuses for why we are materially busy but never seem to find enough time for God. So, the theme of my “Podvig” range are usually featuring a single Hieromonk (an Orthodox Christ monk who is also an ordained priest) in various scenes, with an underlying message that may be derived from the Gospel or from thoughts of Orthodox saints, ancient or contemporary.
“Prosto” is a Slavic word which can mean “straightforward” or “simply”. For this range of paintings, I may paint everyday objects or scenes of nature, without necessarily an underlying Scriptural implication.