Alex Fong presents, 'Daddy's Home'

I love mysteries in paintings, and Daddy's Home by Alex Fong gives me all the question marks I need to intrigue me. First off, Alex comes from Kelowna, BC. When you look at this painting you see the beauty of the surrounding Okanagan Valley. Alex, calls himself a watercolourist. But, the reality is - he paints in acrylics in the style of a watercolourist. For instance, the background of this work flows with the wet on wet application of paint. It looks like a watercolour painted with watercolour paint. The work dances with an adventurous spirit. The foreground grapevine, floats down the hill like an unfolding musical score and the leaves seem to dance to the melody. Alex captures a spirit of gaiety. It's a champagne and joy work and its got a few delightful surprises. His palette sparkles with colour and little bubbles float like coloured balloons over the sky, and grape leaves take on a variety of coloured shapes.

I like the way that Alex teases his viewers with such little surprises as a little pheasant sitting amidst the trellises in the lower left corner. And there - tucked into the picture, within the floating musical lines, we find the man with the white coat and hat, who the title suggests is likely Daddy. The diminutive size of the subject seems ironic if we are looking at Daddy. Alex intentionally leaves us with many questions and few answers. It teases our imaginations. It's classic Alex Fong work.