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This is an interview I did with www.eksentrika.com recently. Eksentrika is a content website dedicated to showcase Malaysian talents, inspire more creatives and spur the growth of local arts.
They are a pretty new outfit, run by former journalists Ista and Sukhbir who strives to give exposure and recognitions to the unconventional artisans and maverick virtuosi for their contributions to art. Eksentrika also serves as a database of local creative talents and a conduit for these artists to reach out to potential clients. They believe Malaysia has a plethora of hidden creative gems and this eccentric duo are aspire to get them all noticed.

And to be featured in their website, is definitely a huge honour. To think that my art work is worthy of their attention.

To add icing on the cake, Faber-Castell Malaysia was generous enough to act as sponsor to my article! It was something that I did not expected at all.

To read more, go

Time can be so unforgiving. Even the mechanism that we use to measure time gets antiquated as time goes on.
Just like us, with each passing day, we grow older and in a blink of an eye, years passed and when we look at our reflection in the mirror, we see our parents instead.

BUT is it a bad thing? Given the opportunity, would you want go back in time? To be young again?

To me, the ups and downs, good and bad that I had experienced throughout four decades, made me into who I am today. A much more confident, calmer and patient person. I observed and listen more. I have learned to appreciate each passing day.

All that, only time can give, no money in the world could buy that.

This is the second sequel to my ‘Time’ series. Why did I chose this subject matter? I believe time is very significant in everyone’s life. Our lives revolves around time,

What is time? Does it even exist? Have you ever wonder?

When we think of time we tend to think of the ways in which we measure the passing of time, such as a clock or watch, or perhaps a measured interval of time such as an hour or minute, but not of time itself. So what is time? Exactly what is it that we are measuring? -www.thekeyboard.org.uk

To me, TIME is a big mystery. Since the day we were born, our life is measured and controlled by time. Everything we do now, past and future are all based on time. Is it a good or bad thing?

Deep huh? Maybe I think too much. But sometimes, I can’t help it. I imagined life without worrying about time. No deadlines, no getting pissed by people who are always late to an appointment. The dread of waking up to the shrill of the alarm and many

Once in a while, I love doing super colourful subjects just to relax the mind and eyes or just for the heck of it.

Rooster, is one of the subject that I have not done and never crossed my mind to paint it. I find painting chickens and birds difficult because of the lack of expressions. But I do love looking at their gorgeous feathers.

The idea came about quite suddenly when I was looking for references. I recalled seeing a group of chickens roaming freely at a temple on a hilltop where I used to cycle to some time back and I have always been fascinated by their shiny colourful feathers, especially under the bright sunlight.

So I told myself, why not try painting one and see how it goes. So off I went one lovely bright Sunday afternoon to that hilltop, took my camera and drove all the way up and hoping

Now, this is a very interesting subject.  The subject itself is very symbolic. Family.

The keys represent the individual in a family. Different types of keychains, various knick knacks attached to it. From there itself, one can roughly guess which key set belongs to whom, the father, mother, older/younger siblings.

This is a wooden key holder hanging in my dining area. In this painting, all the hooks were occupied, showing that everyone is home. It can be where everyone is home at the end of the day, a weekend or a holiday.

It is a very simple subject, very straight forward but you will feel a sense of warmth, love in a family.

Technically, this is quite an easy subject to work on. The focus here is to bring out the warmness of the whole subject matter. The painting needs to portray the warm fuzzy feeling of a loving home. The wood panel, with the earthy

Equanimity – calm, composure, presence of mind, serenity, tranquility.

As shown in several of my work, rock/pebbles seems to be one of my favourite subject. I find them very versatile, both in paintings and expressing human feelings metaphorically.  They can be intense yet subtle at the same time.

With this piece, I wish to portray a sense of tranquility yet complex at the same time. At a glance, the whole composition looks calm and serene. But take a closer look, you will see so many muted colours and textures in every individual rocks. Just like us human beings,  we are unique in our own way.

If we as a society are able to practise tolerance, understanding and respect for each other, no matter how different we look or difference in belief and creed, we CAN co-exist peacefully. Imagine a world where everyone look and think alike, scary isn’t it?

The size of this piece is

Pluralism has such vast meanings. In a simple explanation, it means “the condition of being multiple or plural.”  

My interpretation of this painting is based on Sociology, the existence in a society of groups having distinctive ethnic origin, cultural forms, religions, etc.  A condition in which numerous distinct ethnic, religious, or cultural groups are present and tolerated within a society.

In Sociology, “Pluralism” means the existence of groups having distinctive ethnic origin, cultural forms, religions etc., that are present and tolerated within a society yet adds to the “flavour” of the whole.

Individuals, irregardless of race, creed, culture, shapes and sizes, when coexist harmoniously, can turn this world into a beautiful and harmonious place in time of many challenges.

The rock pebbles depicted in my painting is a metaphor of today’s society, multiculturalism. Each rock represent us as individual, some are similar but never quite alike and some are a total opposite but still a rock all

Wabi-sabi represents Japanese aesthetics and a Japanese world view centered on the acceptance  of transience and imperfection . The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is “imperfect, impermanent and incomplete”. Characteristics of the wabi-sabi aesthetic include asymmetry, roughness, simplicity, economy, austerity, modesty, intimacy and appreciation of the ingenious integrity of natural objects and processes.  – en.wikipedia.org

Now, what made me want to paint this? Many did asked why and what were my thoughts when I chose this particular subject.

I happened to notice this main water valve by accident. This valve is right by the junction to my house that I drove pass every time but I never took any notice until then. It is something that I, like many others took for granted that it is just there.

I was desperately looking for subject/inspiration for the Langkawi Art Biennale 2016. I need a

The much-anticipated journey continues in Langkawi Art Biennale 2016. The all-encompassing theme in this coming event is called the ‘Exploration’. Moving forward with the ‘Migration‘ theme from the 1st biennale, participating artists will settle down and experience Langkawi in-depth. Artists would be exposed to new discoveries of multifaceted cultures and religions, an endless array of local food, varying lifestyle of the inhabitants, and even the tranquil nature of the countryside and natural beaches.

www.langkawiartbiennale.com

What an experience! To be part of this international art event was pretty surreal for me. This is the first time coloured pencil artwork were included and exhibited along with all other mainstream medium here in Malaysia.  It is a huge milestone for coloured pencil art in Malaysia and I hope it will open up a path and opportunities for more colour pencil artists locally and internationally.

First of all, this event is not

Six weeks after submitting my membership’s application to the International Guild of Realism (IGOR), I finally received the approval via email on the 24th October, 2016.

I truly cannot believe my luck and took me quite a while to read through the email, several times, in order for the news to sink it. IGOR is an organisation that promotes Realism art in all medium.

To be accepted as a member of IGOR,  Coloured Pencil …… You can imagine my joy.

http://www.realismguild.com/

Now, one may wonder what is so great about getting accepted as a member? When I posted the news on my Facebook page, there were some comment asking what is it all about and why is there a need to ‘belong’ to certain organisation/group.

Before I go into details on why, here is what is IGOR all about.

Our mission is to advance realism in