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Sunday, March 30, 2003
Thorns and Roses: Samuel Teo Interviewer : Dawn Fung Samuel and family (1)He is probably the only painter in the world whose gallery - First Love Gallery - and work is dedicated to roses. In the midst of the extravagant black ink in my notepad, Samuel Teo's testimony still jumps out in glimpses of clarity. Hidden on the fourth floor of the Shaw Centre, tucked beside the escalator, is a garden. The viewer is inundated with roses outside and in. Beautiful, raw and touching- the works within First Love and the gallery itself is Sam's testimony of God's love and favour in his life. "To give glory to God, I cannot hide myself. I have to be where the people are." My artistic career took off in 1997. Before that it had been a huge incubation period. In 1982 I was in Auckland, New Zealand, and we were on a road trip without a map. At a snack shop rest station, I saw my dream- to open a shop like that and sell pastries, as well as arts and crafts. Like a cafe. The love for evangelism through that approach was a vision that took root then. In 1995, I entered the arts profession as a hobby, not for commercial reasons as yet. It was only in 1997 that I set up shop. Before that I had been a pastor for ten years. I was burnt out. I evaluated, and realised that being a pastor was not my calling, rather it had been a transit position for me to help out in the church when the need arose. I normally respond to needs. I cannot just wait and pray. To me, a good motto is just do it if you see a need. Don't waste time. So really, what got me into this line was a midlife crisis, and a sense of changing directions. At eight, my ambition had been to be an artist. So then I told myself, "die die must plunge into it". I moved from pastoral ministry to do fine arts. For three months I faced the question, what if this move wasn't directed by God's voice, would my gift of painting me taken away? I was so paranoid that I didn't dare to pick up the brush. I procrastinated. If I can't paint, I don't want to know. But I must do something. Dec 1995 was decisive- the big crate of Japanese apples that I wanted to put in paint motivated me to discover that I still retained my art. Having to step out in faith, I wondered to myself, had I stepped out of the will of God? I was nursing loneliness after stepping out of the church ministry. As a family oriented church, everyone knew each other and I was at the receiving end of much criticism and condemnation from people. To me, it looked almost like being out of the pastorate meant being out of God's calling. The fear of God talking away my artistic gift seemed like a huge penalty. I was relieved when I took up the brush. I can go on with what I decided to do.  First Love Gallery There was a stage that was particularly unnerving for me. In 1995-1996, God was silent when I sought him for directions. No words, no anything. I thought to myself, since you're keeping silent, then I'll have to make my own move. Where's my bread and butter coming from? So in 1996 I did nothing else but paint, like crazy. And the ideas flowed in. At the end of 1996, my works enabled me to put up a solo exhibition. The difficult and funny thing, on hindsight, was that I was not known at all. In Jan 1997 I found success. The response to my works and the sales were good. It was frightening. The exhibition was an answer from God, for what came after my slogging in the studio. What I found painting at home was a progressive step towards evangelising, the logic being that if I wanted to evangelise, I must not be cooped up at home. The vision I had in the 80s came back to me, from the trip in New Zealand. Furthermore, getting a shop space would be a message to the public, because I was never into business, nor did I have any knowledge of the arts industry. A few months after the exhibition, my old antique fan spoiled. Funny that, because the shop that I brought my fan to for fixing was up for take over, and it was on the fourth level with all the other art shops. Orchard Point was a good location. Space wise, the studio was ideal. I thought that almost everything was good. I haggled the price and pluckily took over the shop after a bit of nudging from my wife. When I first took up the shop, just after my first exhibition, there were no paintings to be displayed! The irony was that three quarters of my paintings had been sold. It was little wonder that I had no business, nor many items to sell. And then the bills came in. But God is faithful. He works miracles. A Straits Times journalist who used to report for artists gave me a three quarter page with full colour. Like free national publicity! From there, almost all the major media players interviewed me, and so I didn't have to spend a cent on advertisement. And the major Chinese newspaper, Lianhe Zaobao, interviewed me beforehand for my exhibition. I don't know how they found out about me because I did not remember telling them! For two major newspapers to interview me - that must have been God. Despite having painted most than a hundred single stalk roses, and the Asian economic crisis in 1997, I managed to sell my works (like crazy).  Roses are red... In 2002 I moved the shop to Shaw House, February. Moving to the new place is a good way to educate my neighbours then about art, as the traffic flow here is very unlike the Orchard Point. It was another panicky stage because the business went down. I had to dip into my savings to pay for rental. So I pressed the panic button to God, praying and with my caregroup. At Borders as I was reading Henry Nouwen's devotions, the word WAIT jumped out at me. And then, within two to three weeks of putting up the notice for art classes, students streamed in. And so, I overcame two more things- teaching as both a phobia and a new business tool. I started on the rose motif in the early 1980s. The first piece of rose was so beautiful, I told myself, and I can paint roses. So I kept working with the rose. It would make good gifts for friends. When I painted full time, I moved from watercolour to oil paint, as I think it's less restricting for me. I was mildly troubled by watercolour but I had never done oil. I was embarrassed by my lack of knowledge of even the most basic oil materials. I remember asking the attendant in the art shop which materials were used for oil. Another problem was that I was without books and instructions. But I painted anyway, in a new medium. I was desperate and highly depressive because I still did not know what to paint. After much doodling, yellow buds appeared. Gold, I told myself. Sunshine of Love was my first piece out of the canvas, of a field of yellow rosebuds. It was a prophetic act, like a light at the end of the tunnel. And the first piece that was subsequently sold. The rose, to me, conveys the message of love.  first loves In personal evangelism I never had success. I encouraged others and I saw them bear fruit and people receiving Christ, but there seemed to be no fruits from my efforts. I grew up in the Christian faith and ministry, and encouraged and reminded people about love but it did not bear much significance. The rose is my subtle way, not confrontational, which I was not good at anyway. It suggests ideas of love albeit not talking about God all the time. But I want it to point to God, the greatest love. I don't do abstract because the audience finds it difficult to identify. The impressionist is simple and contemporary as well. It's not an easy traditional start. I want to paint what I want to paint, and art is communication. Visual communication has to be clear, that people can understand. There is no print. The fruit that I have seen in this ministry is to survive as an artist, alongside this gallery. A writer told me two years after I have started that he had given me only a year before I close shop. To give glory to God, I cannot hide myself. I have to be where the people are. Through the window displays, and painting classes, that people are able to find God in my work. First Love Gallery is located at #04-45/46 Shaw Centre, 1 Scotts Road. Check out firstlove.com.sg for more info. This article was first published 300303. Revised and edited 310306. (1) image from http://www.firstlove.com.sg/family/f2.jpg, viewed on 22 Sept 2009
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